Torn Between Two Snakes
by Ravenclaw's Redhead
Summary: Ginny wants to go to the ball with Harry, who is oblivious as usual. But what happens when two notoriously attractive Slytherins take an interest in her? Takes place in Ginny's third year, ENJOY! Pairings: Blaise/Ginny, Draco/Ginny, slight Harry/Ginny.
1. Chapters 1 and 2

Back by popular demand and because I just felt like it, Torn Between Two Snakes has (well IS) being updated as is better than ever! Hopefully my cupcakes and I will like it more this time so it can end… Any-hoo, you get two small chapters smashed into one! Lucky for you! Also, this whole story is dedicated to **Ninja. Twilight. Forever** for being my first EVER reviewer back when this story was posted the first time. Sadly, I believe she has stopped coming to this site, however, I shall always adore her. Now then, **Disclaiming time!**

Disclaimer (for whole fanfic): I am not J.K. Rowling, not as talented, or as awesome, or as brilliant… YET! But the plot and anything you don't recognize IS mine- so stay away or I'll bite you! *growls*

Chapter One: Thoughts and A Collision:

It was the middle of November during Ginny Weasley's third year of attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Gryffindor was making her way downstairs for breakfast. She knew the way without having to think, and considering she was alone, decided to let her body take her there and let her mind wander. She was thinking about asking Harry to the Yule ball, but knew it would be pointless. He never gave her a chance, and she knew he would take someone beautiful and popular, like Cho.

"Cho," she growled, her voice barely making a sound. "That stupid perfect Ravenclaw. Why she's in Ravenclaw and not Slytherin I'll never understand. She's such a sleazy slut, but none of the guys seem to notice. I thought Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart," Ginny mumbled as she turned a corner. "That horrid bit-"

She was cut off when she ran into someone, hard. As she fell to the ground, she heard another person fall beside her. She looked up, and saw that parchment and quills were flying everywhere.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" she said repeatedly as she scrambled around, collecting the pieces of parchment that scattered the corridor. With her arms full, she turned to face the person, and looked straight into the cold grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. She gasped, dropped the parchment, and tried to take a step back. She tripped on a quill and went flying into Draco, who caught her around the waist easily. He pulled her up to face him, with that trademark Slytherin smirk on his face, one eyebrow hovering higher than the other in a questioning look. She blushed and looked away, then fought to get out of his grasp.

"Look, Weaselette, throwing yourself at me will not get you charity, no matter how much you may need the money." he drawled sarcastically.

"I would never accept money from you ferret," Ginny spat out fiercely.

"Your temper is almost as fiery as your hair," he commented, smiling slightly.

Did he just smile? Ginny asked herself. She had always thought Slytherins were only capable of smirking and snickering, but here was Draco Malfoy smiling a genuine smile. And did he just compliment me? Ginny's world was spinning. She came out of her thoughts to notice that Draco- no Malfoy! She wasn't about to start thinking of him on a first name basis. She focussed again and noticed that **Malfoy** had gotten much closer to her, their faces were only a few inches away.

"Look Weasley, I was wondering-" he began.

"Uh, I gotta go. Bye!" Ginny interrupted, then pushed past him and ran through the doors of the Great Hall.

As she walked sub-consciously to her seat at the Gryffindor table, right between her friends Luna Lovegood and Mia Rose, she marvelled at what had just happened. Why was Malfoy being decent to her? They usually had to refrain from hexing one another, usually just shouting out insults at each other, but he had just acted somewhat gentlemanly towards her. Besides that, he was never near that hallway before meals. He was always there at the Slytherin table talking to those big oafs Crabbe and Goyle, the pug-faced (not to give pugs a bad name) Pansy and the flirtatious Blaise Zabini. He came from the dungeons, the door opposite the one she had just come through. So why would he be standing alone in that corridor? Reaching her spot at the table, she pushed thoughts of Malfoy out of her head and smiled warmly at her friends.

Chapter Two: A Second Snake:

Three days after the incident with Malfoy, Ginny had almost forgotten that it had ever happened. She was making her way to the library to work on her transfiguration essay. She headed straight for the muggle studies section of the library, no one was ever there. She found an empty table in a secluded corner and sat down. Little did she know that someone was watching her, or that this someone was about to make a move.

A shadow covered the parchment she was writing on. She didn't look up. A few moments passed, and the person still didn't seem to get the message. Ginny wished they would just give up and leave. She hoped it wasn't Colin trying to get her to look up so he could blind her with a flash just so he could have another picture of her.

"Who are you and what do you want?" She said bitterly.

"Aww, not happy to see me are you?" The person said. Ginny recognized the voice from somewhere, but when she couldn't match a face or a name to a voice, she gave up and looked at him.

It was Malfoy's best friend, Blaise Zabini. Ginny only knew three things about him: He was a Slytherin, he was a year above her and his favourite hobby was flirting with girls. Ginny had never had a conversation with him before, or been this close to him. He had tanned skin, and short, ebony dreadlocks that reminded Ginny of the Twins' friend, Lee Jordan. But what she noticed about him the most was his eyes. They were dark indigo, but had a bright glow.

"Cat got your tongue, Ginger?" He said playfully, smirking at her, "Or were you just admiring the view? Can't really blame you if you are."

"Zabini, can't you see I'm busy?" Ginny said, glaring at him.

"Call me Blaise, love. And it isn't my fault I'm over here. Your fiery hair attracts the eye. But now that I think about it, the rest of you attracts the eye as well." He winked at her at this comment, and sat down in the chair opposite her.

"Don't bother trying to work your charm on me, Zabini. Besides, what would the other Slytherins say, you hitting on a Gryffindor, and a Weasley at that?" I snapped at him.

"My name's Blaise, sweetheart, so call me by my name. As for what the Slytherins would say, almost all of the guys in your year and my year would wish that they were in my position. They're all obsessed with you, but are to scared you'll hex them into another dimension to act. The girls all hate you, but only because they're jealous. You don't realize how attractive you are Ginger." Blaise seemed quite happy by his announcement.

Ginny was shocked. She hadn't expected him to answer that question, much less with such a shocking answer! Guys are obsessed with me? A poor girl, overshadowed by her brothers and the Golden Trio? Blaise was snapping his fingers in front of her face, bringing her back to reality.

"What? Sorry Zabini, I sort of spaced out there." Ginny said, flushing with embarrassment.

"Dreaming of me, no doubt. And for the last time, my name is Blaise!" He said winking at her again, his head in his hand.

"I'll call you Zabini if I want to. And, if you haven't noticed, my name isn't Ginger or love or sweetheart!" Ginny snapped, her infamous Weasley temper starting to make an appearance.

"Sorry love, it's a habit. You can keep calling me Zabini if you must, and I'll call you any pet names I see fit. Deal? Deal." He grinned at her, but it faded as soon as he saw her packing up her things. He was having quite a bit of fun, talking with the youngest Weasley. There was something different about this girl that he was naturally drawn to.

"Leaving so soon, love? We were just getting started!" He said, giving her something between a lopsided grin and a smirk.

"There is no "we", Zabini. And yes, I'm leaving. Being near you this long has been torture enough." She said harshly.

Ginny stood up, grabbed her bag and walked around the table. She tripped, and fell forward. Her head was about to hit the sharp corner of a bookcase when she suddenly stopped falling. Blaise caught her and spun her around. Ginny looked into his eyes and blushed.

"Don't worry, love. I find your clumsiness adorable. After all, not many women can resist from falling at my feet." He said, smiling at her and resting his forehead on hers. Ginny blushed, and he smiled. She was radiant when she blushed.

Ginny wrenched herself out of his grip, grabbed her bag, and ran out the door. Blaise liked her! Slytherins adored her! She was really confused. She cast one last frightened glance at Zabini before rushing out of the library.

Blaise watched her leave, leaning on a desk. He smiled.

"I'll make her realize that not all Slytherins are evil. Then I'll take her to the Yule Ball and rub it in Draco's face forever!" He was interrupted when a first year Hufflepuff walked up to him.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked shyly. Blaise looked down at the boy. "Would you get out of here?" he roared, before grabbing his things and leaving the library, running in between bookshelves to hide from Madam Pince who was furious with his yelling.

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Well, what thinks my people? I'm having a "it's the weekend so I'll have bad grammar if I want to" thing right now, but it isn't part of the story so y'all (yes, y'all, I don't say it much) can just cool it! Ginny fell a lot in this chapter and was caught by two ridiculously hot Slytherins- Lucky girl! Please review and thank you for reading, my beloved cupcakes!


	2. Chapter 3

No reviews yet… oh well, doesn't bother me! –Well, it does a little… None of me blabbing this time, on to the chapter!

Chapter 3: An Encounter in the Dungeons:

Ginny was still shaken from her encounter with Zabini. Although a week had passed, she hadn't forgotten about it like she had with Malfoy's encounter. This was probably because Zabini- that git- had been winking at her from across the Great Hall at meals. The first time he had done this, she had choked on her pumpkin juice and sprayed all over the person sitting across from her… Harry. She had fled the room and could feel everyone's eyes on her.

Now, a week later, she was sprinting towards the dungeons. Miraculously, and through much begging, she had managed to convince Snape to give her an extension on an essay that she had been too ill to complete. She was marvelling at how she had gotten away with it when she happened to glance down at her wrist watch. She only had ten minutes and it was a long way to go. She ran even faster, muttering the thought that kept replaying itself in her head.

"I hope I don't run into Zabini or Mal-"

"Hey Weaselette. What are you doing in Slytherin territory this late?" came a drawl from a dark corner.

Ginny stood frozen in the corridor, too afraid to move. She desperately wished she hadn't left her wand in her dormitory. She knew who it was; she just hoped that this time he wouldn't get so close. No such luck. Malfoy walked up to her, raised his pale and elegant hand to her face, and… flicked her on the head.

"Ow! What was that for, Ferret?" Ginny muttered while giving him what she hoped was a menacing glare.

"You didn't answer my question, my little Weaselette." Draco stated bluntly, giving her an icy cold stare.

"If you must know," she began fiercely, while at the same time thinking 'good, sound like you don't care about what he thinks… which you don't' she said, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. 'Don't be nervous Ginny; it's Malfoy for Merlin's sake!' Satisfied with this answer, she took a breath and continued.

"I have to deliver an assignment to Professor Snape. Now kindly get out of my way."

He didn't even blink. He stood there, blocking the door, waiting for the youngest Weasley to get uncomfortable and frustrated. It worked. She began punching him to make him move, trying very hard not to notice how muscular yet slim his torso was. Malfoy didn't even react; it was as if she wasn't even there. Ginny's frustration became too much for her. She stopped punching him in the chest like she had been doing for the past two minutes and looked up at him, her eyes pleading.

"Malfoy, **please**. Snape's going to kill me. What do you want?" She asked him.

"Well, Weasley, if you must know…" He stopped and looked over her shoulder. She turned around as well. There, leaning on the doorframe, was Blaise Zabini.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A feisty lion in the snake pit?" Zabini said, smirking and walking closer to them.

"How about you shut up Zabini, and get your ferret friend here to **let me through.**" she said, trying once again to push Malfoy out of the way.

"I could consider that, love, but what would I be getting out of it?" Zabini said, looking down at the youngest and feistiest of the Weasleys.

"STOP CALLING ME LOVE!" Ginny exclaimed furiously.

"Now, is that any way to talk to someone who might be able to help you, love?" he said smoothly.

Ginny figured she only had three minutes left. She knew she could make it if she hurried, but she needed to convince Zabini and Malfoy to let her through.

"Fine," she sighed exasperatedly. "What do you want?"

The two boys looked at each other and smirked. The proceeded to walk toward her, cornering her.

Malfoy spoke first. "What we want is…"

Zabini finished the sentence. "A kiss each!" They both burst out laughing at the expression on Ginny's face. Her eyes practically doubled in size, and her face when from a pale cream to bright red in a matter of seconds.

"Wha…I…you…ARGH!!! I don't have time for this!" Ginny exclaimed at the top of her voice.

"What's going on here?" drawled a new voice.

The three turned and came face to face with none other than Severus Snape.

"Professor, we were just trying to teach this little Gryff what happens when you enter the snake pit." Zabini said smoothly.

"Very well, I don't have time for this. You two are excused." The Potions Master said, his voice oily as he let two of his favourite students go before he turned on Ginny, his eyebrow raised as he looked down on her.

Zabini and Malfoy walked behind Snape, winking, smirking, and blowing kisses at her before running out the door. Ginny looked away from the Slytherins and back at Snape.

"I brought you the essay you gave me an extension on, Sir." said Ginny, handing him the essay. Snape quickly unrolled the parchment, his eyes scanning it before he smiled at her. None of the other students knew Ginny's strange talent of potion-making, they wouldn't stop ridiculing her. She actually enjoyed having Snape as a teacher, well, more than a normal Gryffindor would.

"Outstanding as usual Miss Weasley." he drawled. Ginny thanked him once again for giving her the extension and then fled the corridor. She ran quickly and quietly through the dark passageways in the cold, dark dungeon, praying she wouldn't run into-

"So, when do we get those kisses, love?"

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Duh duh DUHNNN!!! (Or however that music goes) What did you think? Kind of short, I know, please forgive me. Rest assured, I'm posting the next few chapters quickly. I hope 3 reviews isn't too much to ask, I just want to be sure I'm not wasting my time. Thank you for reading (and hopefully reviewing) my lovely cupcakes, RR (that's me) loves you!


	3. Chapter 4

I'm updating for only 2 reviews. That's really sad. C'mon my cupcakes, is my fanfic really that unreadable? Oh well, I'm just going to get on with it!

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Chapter 4: Cornered and Kissed

Ginny spun around quickly and gasped. Of course, standing there were Malfoy and Zabini. She had known it was them before she turned around, it was just her luck that these two incredibly attractive Slytherins had been waiting for her. She turned her attention back to the two boys, who were looking even smugger than they had a few minutes earlier. They walked towards her, their wands kept lazily in their pockets. They knew as well as she did that they wouldn't need them; she didn't have a wand, and she was trapped. But that wouldn't stop her from putting up a good fight.

"I am not kissing either of you. Now, why can't you two just leave me alone?!?" she exclaimed. The two boys looked at each other, and walked towards her. She backed away with every step the took towards her, until her back was against the cold wall. They boys didn't stop there. They walked even closer, until she had herself pinned against the stone wall, so they wouldn't touch her. They both looked down at her, smirking, arms crossed, feet slightly apart. They were only a few inches away from her.

"So, who has the honour of kissing you first?" asked Blaise, leaning even closer to her. Draco followed suit. Ginny had forgotten how to breathe she was so nervous. 'I can't let them do this,' thought Ginny. Suddenly, she thought of one last way to possibly free herself. She feigned weakness, and started to sink to her knees, then jumped up, kicked both of her legs out, and hit both boys where it hurt. They fell over immediately. Ginny leaped over them and ran out of the chamber as fast as she could, hearing their agonized curses of pain echoing around her. She ran through the dungeons, and at some point entered the maze that Filch said had been used as a form of torture. Students were forced to run through the maze when all the exits were blocked off, usually resulted in the student going insane. Ginny could hear their footsteps coming after her. They were faster than her, and getting closer by the second. She took a sharp right and hid in a dark corner close to the entrance. She heard the footsteps stop, and two shadows loomed in the entranceway of the maze. Ginny held her breath. She heard the two boys mutter to one another, before they turned and left the room.

She let out the breath she had been holding and crawled out of the corner. She sprinted down the hallway, but saw an arm reach out to catch her, she tried to slow down, but ended up sliding right underneath the arm. She heard Malfoy yell "Blaise, you said you could catch her!" followed by Zabini saying "Sorry mate, but I didn't know she would slide underneath my bloody arm!" Ginny's sudden and newfound hopes of escaping came to an abrupt end when she stopped sliding. Knowing her luck, she fell over, and within a matter of seconds, she was in their grasp once again.

"You know, Weaselette, if you would just stop trying to escape and kissed us, you could be back, safe in your common room with Pothead, Mudblood and your brothers in a matter of minutes! Give up!" Draco said matter-o-factly. Despite her current position, Ginny growled at the mention of the word Mudblood.

"You really should, because this time, we aren't letting you go, love. Literally." Blaise said, smirking.

"What are you two bozos talking abo-" Ginny's sentence ended with a shriek as Zabini picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. He started walking and Draco followed behind, ensuring Ginny would be able to see his gloating face.

"Put me down NOW!" She yelled furiously, fighting as hard as she could to get herself free, kicking and punching. However, Blaise's years of playing Keeper on the Quidditch team had paid off, his lean and muscular body didn't seem affected by Ginny's attacks.

"I mean it Blaise, stop it!" said Ginny.

"Only if you promise to kiss us," Draco said while giving her one of his best smirks.

"You know Drake, they had better be good kisses, considering all of the trouble we've through to get them." Blaise commented laughingly.

Ginny had given up fighting some time ago, and was now thinking of her fate. If only I'd brought my wand, she thought, slapping herself mentally. Ginny knew that fighting would be pointless. She would have to kiss them, so she might as well get it over with now.

"If you two would **shut up** for a moment, I've decided to just go through with it and kiss you. So will you put me down now?" She spat out regretfully.

Blaise dropped her and proceeded to do some random dance of celebration with Draco. Ginny stood up and brushed herself off. When they gave no intention of stopping, she thought of escaping, but realized they had both magically locked the doors. Instead, she ran up between them pecked them each quickly on the lips, blushed and then returned to her normal self, backing away from them. By this time, both boys had stopped chanting and stood, open-mouthed, staring at her.

"I kissed both of you. NOW LET ME GO." She growled angrily.

Draco waved his wand at the door, smirking and winking at her. Blaise smirked as well.

"Pleasure doing business with you, sweetheart! Hopefully we'll have another encounter like it soon!" Blaise ended with a whistle, before him and Draco turned their backs on her and disappeared through the other door. Without and second thought, Ginny sprinted to her common room and collapsed on the bed.

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Saucy. I've been using that word lately, don't give it much thought. So, what did you think? Please review guys, it means the world to me. And don't forget to check out my other fanfic! Thanks for reading everyone! *waves before disco dancing out the door*


	4. Chapter 5

Sorry for the terribly long wait- I just wanted to update everything to perfection- plus, final exams are less than two weeks away. THE HORROR! Oh well, nothing I can't handle! Please enjoy!

Chapter 5: Many Complications

Ever since that horrible experience in the dungeons, Ginny had decided to stay with someone as often as she could. When Luna and Rose weren't around, she would tag along with the Harry, Ron and Hermione, although she wasn't happy when she did. She hated being known as the follower of the Golden Trio. The fourth wheel. The unnecessary addition to an already perfect group. She was tired of being ignored. There was only three and a half weeks until the Yule Ball, and Harry still hadn't announced who he was taking. This gave her hope, so she felt slightly happier to be around him as much as possible. One advantage of being the little sister of the Boy-Who-Lived's sidekick was that she could be around Harry more than any other girl- aside from Hermione, of course.

One week after the encounter in the dungeons, Ginny found her self making her way to the Gryffindor Common Room…alone. She thought she heard footsteps, so she quickened her pace. The person was getting closer, and then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Ginny! Listen, I've got to talk to you!" The irritating, flirtatious voice of Cho Chang flowed out from behind Ginny, making her gag. Letting out the breath she didn't know she had been holding, she turned around to face her rival.

"Hey Cho, what's up?" Ginny asked cheerfully. Examining the wretched girl more closely, she noticed the strange expression on Cho's face. Something wasn't quite right about how Cho was looked at her. She looked angry and… jealous?

"Look, Weasley. I have liked Harry Potter for a long time. He's popular, hot and famous. Someone like that should definitely go to the Yule Ball with the prettiest girl in school. Let's face it, I'm the prettiest girl in school, and you are just his follower; his stalker; the little sister of his best friend. Therefore, I am going to make sure he asks me to that dance if it's the last thing I do, so let me be perfectly clear: STOP FLIRTING WITH PEOPLE OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE AND FIND SOMEONE ELSE!!!" With that, Cho turned on her heel, her dark ponytail whipping Ginny in the face, and stalked away.

Ginny stood in the middle of the hallway, completely stunned. She sank onto her knees and just sat there, oblivious to the world. Ten minutes passed and she suddenly heard footsteps. She paid no attention to them until she heard the footsteps stop and knew someone was right in front of her. She brought her head out of her knees and looked straight into two pairs of eyes: one a cold grey and one a mysterious indigo.

"Setting up a toll booth for getting through this corridor? Wow, your money making ideas seem to be getting worse and worse. I wonder what you'll-" Draco was cut of when Ginny whipped out her wand a shot a powerful Bat Bogey Hex at him then sprinted down the corridor.

"Blaise! Help! Hurry! We have to get her!" She could hear Draco screaming orders at Blaise. To Ginny's pleasure, he sounded frantic and in a lot of pain. Unfortunately, the screams died down and were followed by footsteps. Ginny ran into a deserted classroom and closed the door. She looked through the keyhole to see if they would run by or if she would be discovered. Nothing…Nothing…Nothing…AH! An indigo eye was staring back at her from the other side of the keyhole.

"Hello there love! I wouldn't stand there if I were you. Draco's about to blast the door open." Blaise said. Ginny saw the eye move away from the keyhole. Ginny backed up and pointed her wand straight for the door. The door blasted apart, and through the now smoking doorway appeared Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. She was about to hex them into the next millennia when-

"Accio Ginny's wand!" shouted Blaise, catching the wand with ease. He then smirked at her, twirling the wand around between his fingers before putting it in his pocket. Draco would have joined in with the smirking, but he was busy repairing the door. It reassembled itself and flew back into the door frame. She heard him mutter a locking spell before turning around to face her.

"Damn it! Why can't you two just leave me alone?" Ginny shrieked angrily.

"What fun would that be? We enjoy watching people fight a hopeless battle, and you are no exception. But you can't blame this on us." Blaise said, eyes twinkling happily.

"You're not seriously blaming me? You two decided to stalk me, I had nothing to do with it!" Ginny protested, insanely confused now.

"But you see, if you weren't so attractive, and if your personality wasn't something so attention-drawing, we would have left you alone. Although maybe we wouldn't have, seeing how you fawn over Potter all the time. The Boy-Who-Should've-Died could use his ego knocked down a peg or two." Blaise said, walking slowly towards her and giving her his usual wink and smirk.

"So could yours," muttered Ginny under her breath.

"Yes, you see, you don't realize how perfect you are. By doing this, not only are we getting to be around you, but when Potter finds out, he'll go off his rocker! Two birds, one stone. Now, can we please get on with today's events?" Draco stated gloatingly, having completely ignored Ginny's comment.

"Go bother Luna then, or Rose, they like Harry too!" Ginny exclaimed nervously, then continued hesitantly, "And what did you mean by today's events?"

"Luna and Rose aren't as close to Harry as you. Besides, we aren't interested in them. I'll let Zabini here explain the rest." Said Draco, turning to lean on a table in what Ginny reluctantly admitted was a rather attractive scene, showing off his lean yet muscular arms.

"As for the "today's events" comment my comrade made, you didn't really think that you would get away with just giving us one measly peck on the lips now did you? In any case, we've decided that both of us are going to take you to the Yule Ball!" Blaise exclaimed happily.

"Both of you? But-I-argh. I KNEW I SHOULD'VE GONE TO HOGSMEADE WITH LUNA AND ROSE!!!" she exclaimed. She then pushed past Blaise and pounded on the door, screaming at the top of her voice. "Let me out! Help! Please! SOMEBODY HELP! GRYFFINDOR IN TROUBLE HERE!!!" she finally gave up and slid down the door.

Blaise walked over to her and stuck his hand out. She hesitantly took it, and he lifted her up with ease, smiling warmly. His hand was large, and warm, and soft, and inviting… ACK! Ginny quickly wrenched her hand out of Blaise's to bring herself out of her thoughts, stepping as far away from them as possible.

"Come on Red, lighten up! We're going with a bunch of other Slytherins! And you can bring Luna and Rose with you too!" Zabini said, urging her to accept their offer.

"I am not going to the Ball with either of you." Ginny stated, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Why? It's not like you have someone to go with," Draco said bluntly.

"Yes, I thought Potter was planning on asking that Cho girl," Blaise added, trying to make her angry. It worked. Ginny walked up to him and punched him in the face with all the strength she could muster. He collapsed on to the ground, clutching his face, looking at her with horror and shock. Ginny bent down and faced him.

"Never. Mention. Cho. Chang. EVER. Again." She said venomously, with such conviction Blaise actually flinched.

And what was Draco Malfoy doing while this was occuring? Why, absolutely nothing. He didn't help his friend. He didn't try to stop Ginny. He sat on the table, arms now folded, watching the entire scene with an amused expression on his face. Finally, he spoke up.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor, Weaselette, as well as detention tomorrow night at seven-thirty. Snape's classroom. You really should try to be kinder and more submissive to the people who have power over y-" Draco was cut of in the middle of his gloating speech by the door being blasted open. In the doorway stood Harry Potter. Draco, along with Blaise (having healed his face) leaped up and pointed their wands at him. But they were too slow. Harry stunned both of them in a matter of seconds.

"Harry!" Ginny exclaimed gratefully, throwing her arms around him. "Thank-you so much!" Harry smiled back. She reached into Blaise's robes and pulled out her wand.

"What happened here Ginny? Why's Blaise's face all bloody?" Harry asked, looking at her. Ginny saw Draco's eyes narrow as much as they could under the stunning spell, and Ginny got the message.

"Nothing, Harry. Really. I don't want to talk about it. Let's get out of here." Harry offered her his arm, which she took and they left the room, removing the stunning spell on the two furious Slytherins as they left.

"She punched me! That bloody hurt!" Blaise exclaimed, as soon as he was sure the two Gryffindors were out of earshot.

"Yes, I found that rather amusing. However, we have something much more amusing to do tomorrow night!" Malfoy said excitedly, a malicious glint in his eye.

"What are you talking about, mate?" Zabini said, not trusting the look in his friend's eyes. From previous experiences Blaise had learned that when Draco's gaze held that look, a wicked plan was being formed.

"Detention with Ginny tomorrow night. We'll be supervising it, I'll see to that!"

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There you go. I'd really appreciate three reviews. It's not that much, you know. Please review, tell your friends, all that jazz. And also, read my other fanfic if you get the time!


	5. Chapter 6

Sorry for the wait, everyone! Thank you to all that reviewed. Yes, it was fun getting Ginny to punch him in the face. I would've done it too, also being a redhead known for a notorious temper. Ooh… notorious. BIG WORDS! For all you anti-harry fans, I apologize for the last chapter in which he made such an annoying heroic entrance.

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Chapter 6: Detention in the Dungeons and Several Contests

Ginny was dreading her detention the entire day. She knew Malfoy would somehow ensure that he and Blaise would be the ones to supervise her detention. She shuddered. Their encounters in the past weeks were just the beginning, she knew it. Her fears were confirmed when a black owl dropped a note into her oatmeal, hooted and then flew off. She saw Malfoy and Zabini wink at her from across the hall. With shaking hands, she opened the note.

"_Dearest Weas__elette,_

_Don't forget about detention tonight. 7:30 sharp. Dungeons. We (That is, Blaise and I) are going to warn you now. DO NOT BRING YOUR WAND. If you do, we'll only take it away from you, and the chances of you getting it back EVER would be slim. And please don't hit Blaise in the face again, he's been whining about it since you ditched us with Pothead yesterday. Anyway, the point is, don't forget. You wouldn't want us to have to come looking for you, would you?_

_ Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini._

_P.S. Can't wait to see you tonight, love! (That was Blaise)_

************************************************

Ginny was barely aware of what she was doing the entire day. Before she knew it, it was seven o' clock, and her detention was scheduled for seven-thirty. She waved good-bye to Luna, Mia, and the Trio, who all had nervous looks on their faces, and left the common room. Luna and Mia had been planning on attacking both boys for her all day, so Ginny had convinced the Trio to watch the two Ravenclaw students in the Gryffindor Common Room until she got back. Ginny wondered if the two girls would convince the Trio to go to the dungeons with them and burst through the doors during her detention. Bringing herself out of her thoughts, she realized she had subconsciously walked to the dungeons. She glanced down at her watch. 7:27. The youngest Weasley knew she couldn't postpone any longer. She pushed the doors open and entered the classroom. Blaise and Draco were sitting on the teacher's desk. What a surprise.

"Accio Ginny's wand," said Draco. When nothing happened, he nodded at her approvingly. "Good," he drawled, "You had the sense not to bother bringing it."

"If you had any sense, you'd shut up right now." Ginny said bitterly. "I don't need magic to knock your skull in, Malfoy." Draco smirked, the corners of his mouth twitched, and Blaise outright laughed.

"She's so feisty!" Blaise hollered, still laughing.

"Petrificus Totalus." Murmured Draco, freezing Ginny in place. He sauntered over to her casually, Blaise following, eager to see what would happen next. Ginny's eyes glared as much as they could under the hex, but inside, she had to admit she was more than slightly afraid.

"And how, my little spitfire, are you going to "knock my skull in" as you said, if you are frozen to the spot, completely defenceless?" He asked mockingly, as she was unable to answer. "In fact, how are you going to stop me from doing anything if you are frozen to the spot?" He asked, taking another step toward her. Blaise's eyes widened a little from behind Draco, worried that his best friend was going too far. He quickly performed the counter-curse, smiling slightly at Ginny from behind the blond. Ginny sprung into action and punched Draco right across the side of his head. He fell over immediately.

"Like that," She said, standing over him. "Your letter only said I couldn't hit Blaise, it never said anything about you!" She exclaimed before walking away from him and over to Blaise. She gave him the smallest trace of a smile.

"Thank you Zabini, I suppose. Now, what am I doing for detention?" she asked, when she saw Blaise's eyes widen, followed by him quickly tackling her to the floor. He leaped up as soon as she was on the ground, placing himself between Draco and Ginny.

"Stop it, Draco. You got what you deserved. You know better than to curse someone when their back is turned, and when they're wandless, no less." He said, glaring at his best mate. Ginny's eyes widened as she lay on the ground, frozen by Blaise's words. Draco had tried to hex her and she had been saved by **Blaise**? Her head was spinning when a shadow suddenly covered her. Looking up, she saw Blaise standing over her, offering her a hand. She hesitantly took it and, now standing, looked over at Draco, who was looking at Blaise with disgust.

"Been taking lessons from Potter, have you? You disgust me!" He said, grinning at his friend.

"I love you too, Drake." Blaise said , smiling. "Now. WEASLEY!" He roared, his voice thundering but his eyes still kind and playful. Ginny looked over at him.

"Scrub these cauldrons while Draco and I ogle you from Snape's desk. BEGIN!" Both Draco and Ginny stared at him for a moment in wonder. Blaise however, seemed unperturbed and walked over to the Potions Master's desk, seating himself upon it.

Ginny walked over to the cauldrons and began scrubbing them, her arms working furiously. She kept her eyes down to avoid having to look at the two Slytherins. She could feel them staring at her, occasionally whispering to one another. Half way through Ginny's detention they began enchanting paper airplanes and trying to knock one another's out of the air. As hard as Ginny tried, she couldn't keep a smile off her face as she occasionally looked up at their childish antics. Looking back down at her work after watching a particularly humorous scene as Blaise's plane dive-bombed Draco, she realized she had scrubbed all of the cauldrons. She stood up and dusted herself off, and the boys quickly aimed their planes for the wastepaper basket.

"Done." Ginny announced, before placing her hands on her hips. "Can I leave now?"

"Not just yet, Weasley. We have a proposition for you." Draco drawled in his usual bored tone.

Ginny raised a questioning eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Do you remember yesterday when we said both of us were going to take you to the Yule Ball?" Zabini looked at Ginny and waited until she nodded before continuing. "We've thought it over and concluded that might not work out so well for you. So, the two of us have decided that only one of us will take you. You'll still have to dance with the other person, but… well you know what I mean." He said, finishing somewhat lamely.

"Well, which one of you is taking me?" Ginny asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"That's the best part, love. YOU get to decide!" Blaise said, before mouthing the words "Pick ME!"

"I'm not picking either of you. How can you expect me to choose between you two stalking Slytherins?" Ginny exclaimed.

"Stalking Slytherins? That's not very nice, considering I saved you from Mister Tall, Blond and Evil over th-" Blaise began, before he was cut off.

"We figured you might say something like that. Which is why we've come up with a backup plan." Draco said with that dangerous glint in his eye.

"What's this plan?" Ginny asked, trying to sound indifferent, yet a note of alarm was still clear in her voice.

"You date each of us for one week, and at the end of the two weeks, you'll give us your decision. Fair enough, Red?" Draco said while smirking his irritating smirk.

"And if I refuse?" Ginny said, her Weasley temper rising.

"Then we lock you in the Slytherin common room until the dance, stuff you in a dress and drag you to the ball." Zabini concluded, an amused twinkle in his eye.

"I…but…you….FINE! But I won't be happy about it!" Ginny exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Great. Starting Monday, you date Blaise." Draco said. Ginny noticed a touch of resentment in his voice, as if he was jealous that he didn't get to go first. Blaise whooped and ran towards her, pulled her closer to him in a hug, and kissed her full on the mouth. This lasted for a few seconds before he thought he had better step back so Ginny wouldn't attack him again. Ginny's eyes widened and she looked at him, shocked, before turning on her heel and running out the door.

"YOU'RE EXCUSED NOW WEASLEY!!!" They yelled after her at the top of their voices before chuckling to themselves.

"You know, mate, this might be the most brilliant plan we've ever thought of." Blaise commented happily.

"I wanted to go out with her first," Draco pouted, crossing his arms and glaring at Blaise, whose eyes widened in fake shock.

"A jealous Malfoy? Now there's something you don't see every day!" Blaise exclaimed, while dodging a playful punch from Malfoy.

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What did you think? I changed it slightly from the original, and actually like this version better! Hope you enjoyed it. I'd update for three reviews, but I'll probably end up posting the next chapter in a week anyway. R&R please, my cupcakes!


	6. Chapter 7

Surprised at another chapter on the same day, were ya? Well, I was surprised to get 2 reviews in less than 2 hours! I really hope that this makes up for having not posted new chapters since the beginning of the month. So, without any further ado, read, review, read again, tell your friends and enjoy, my literature loving cupcakes!

Chapter 7: Dating Blaise Zabini: Part I:

Blaise's POV:

Blaise woke up at the crack of dawn, as always. But today was special. Today was the first day he would try to win over Ginny. He had it all planned out. He wasn't sure why he was going to such lengths to make Ginny happy. He sighed. Of course he knew, he was just slightly ashamed to admit it. He adored Ginny Weasley and wanted to be with her forever. He got dressed quickly, winked at himself in the mirror and made his way to the Gryffindor common room. He was glad he was a prefect; he knew where all of the common rooms were. Once Blaise arrived, he leaned casually against the banister across from the portrait. Lavender and Parvati walked to the portrait of the Fat Lady to enter their Common Room. Being the biggest flirt in school, he winked at them and blew a kiss. They giggled and stepped into the common room. Blaise smirked as soon as they had turned their backs. Winning over Ginny would be easy as pie.

Ginny's POV:

Ginny woke up Monday morning, completely oblivious to the fact that she was now dating Blaise Zabini. She changed into her uniform, fixed her hair, grabbed her bag and walked into the common room. While waiting for Hermione to come down the stairs, she took a seat in her favourite chair. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil walked through the opening to the common room, giggling to each other.

"Does anybody have any idea why Blaise Zabini would be pacing outside the portrait?"

Ginny's eyes shot up at the two girls as she suddenly remembered what had been said in detention. Lavender and Parvati stared at her, as if noticing her sudden interest in what they were saying. Ginny realized this and made her way to the portrait, mumbling something along the lines of "I'll go get rid of him."

Normal POV:

As soon as Ginny stepped out of the portrait she was enveloped in a hug. I guess I may as well just go along with it, it wouldn't get me anywhere if I tried to fight him off, she thought, trying to reason with herself.

"I never would have thought that a Slytherin would be so excited to see me," she mumbled. Blaise however, had apparently not heard. He had now stopped hugging her and was now striking a series of poses to get her attention. Ginny giggled, which only made him grin widely at her before continuing. Finally, Ginny walked up to him and punched him softly on the arm, blushing all the while.

"C'mon Blaise, let's go to breakfast, I'm starving!" Ginny said, taking his hand in an attempt to drag him to the Great Hall. Blaise just stood there dumbstruck.

"You used my first name, Red! I'm shocked!" Blaise exclaimed winking at her.

"Yes, well since we're "dating", I thought it would be best to call you by your first name. Now can we go to the Great Hall now? I'm so hungry I might faint!" Ginny said, blushing all the while.

"Faint? Not on my watch, Weasley!" Blaise said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He lifted her up in his arms and proceeded to walk down the corridor.

"Blaise! Cut it out! People are staring!" Ginny exclaimed, playfully punching him and blushing, burying her face in his chest to avoid being seen. (Yeah, that's gonna help, hide your face but not the red hair you're famous for! 0_o) "And where are we going? The Great Hall is the other way."

"Who said anything about the Great Hall? And let people stare, I don't care. Everyone should know that Blaise Zabini, sexiest Slytherin alive managed to capture the heart of the feistiest Gryffindor lion!" Blaise said, emphasizing the last sentence so that others could hear.

"You better not let Malfoy hear you proclaiming yourself sexiest Slytherin." Ginny drawled sarcastically, doing a very good impersonation of Malfoy. "And you haven't captured my heart! You forced me into this!" Ginny exclaimed. Blaise glanced down at her, and for a brief moment Ginny saw hurt in his eyes. When he set her down on the floor, she immediately regretted saying anything. Blaise had kept walking, increasing his speed and leaving Ginny behind. She stood there, dumbstruck for a moment before running down the corridor to catch up with him.

"I'm sorry Blaise, I didn't mean that. If it means anything, so far this has been strangely enjoyable." When Blaise still didn't respond, Ginny did the only thing she could think of that would cheer him up. She snatched his hand, pulled her closer to her and kissed him on the cheek. Blaise eyes widened in shock and he pulled away, staring at her.

"Finally come around, have you? About time is all I can say!" He said, grinning at her before closing the distance between them, kissing her full on the mouth. Ginny was hesitant at first, but then relaxed and began kissing him back. She felt him smirk into her lips. When they broke apart, he was still smirking at her.

"Stop distracting me love. There'll be plenty of time to kiss me later, but we've got to get to breakfast!" He said. Ginny rolled her eyes, although her heart did beat a bit quicker.

"Jerk!" She said. Blaise just stuck his tongue out at her before taking her hand. They ran together, Blaise leading the way.

Awhile later, they stopped at an abandoned corridor, and Ginny looked at Blaise questioningly. Suddenly, a door appeared. Ginny smiled. The Room of Requirement. He led her through the door. Inside, there was a table set for two which was covered in delicious looking food that Ginny assumed was taken from the kitchens. Blaise ran forward and pulled Ginny's chair out for her, which she of course blushed at, her eyes on her plate. They began to eat, not saying much to one another, simply enjoying the others' company. Ginny looked up for a moment to see Blaise staring at her.

"Admiring the view Blaise?" Ginny asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Absolutely." Blaise replied, grinning. "After all, I won't be able to look at you at all next week without Draco threatening me in some way or another." He continued, his voice turning somewhat morose towards the end. Ginny smiled at him and moved her chair over, sitting next to Blaise, who smiled.

"I thought Slytherins were supposed to be evil and cunning." She said before placing a forkful of scrambled eggs in her mouth.

"But…?" Asked Blaise, urging her to continue.

"I think the Sorting Hat made a mistake. You're too sweet." She said. Blaise's eyes suddenly glinted suspiciously.

"Oh really? You don't find me intimidating at all?" He asked casually, maintaining an indifferent façade. Ginny nodded.

"We'll see about that!" He roared, lunging playfully at her. Ginny gasped and ran to the other side of the table. Blaise, grinning like a maniac, his eyes shining with amusement, ran around the table to grab her. Ginny giggled and dodged his outstretched arms, running out the door. She could hear Blaise running behind her when she heard him stop, his footsteps going in another direction. Suspecting him of trying to cut her off, she stopped running, trying to think of a way to hide from him. Suddenly, she heard footsteps, followed by some mumbling and a cat meowing. She gulped. Filch and Mrs. Norris. Ginny knew that the grumpy caretaker would find someway to give her detention. She couldn't move, she had nowhere to go, no place to hide. Suddenly, she was grabbed by the arm and dragged into an alcove. Looking up at her rescuer, she scowled. Draco stood, still holding her arm and looking down at her, grinning. She snatched her arm away and turned away from him. She heard him chuckle.

"You're welcome." He whispered.

"Thanks." Was all Ginny said, in a monotonous whisper, rolling her eyes and grimacing. Draco walked forward and gently lifted up a section of Ginny's hair, playing with it absent-mindedly. Ginny froze. What was he doing? Wouldn't he and Blaise have come to some sort of agreement to not attempt to woo her while it was the other man's turn? After all, Blaise had said moments ago that if he so much as looked at Ginny when it was Draco's turn, he'd be in trouble? Ginny was quickly ruling out one possibility after another. She decided that the most likely cause for Draco's actions was that he was trying to win her over while it was Blaise's turn. Ginny however wouldn't have that. She paused for a brief moment, hearing Filch muttering to Mrs. Norris, and felt Draco tense beside her as well. Sighing with relief as the whispers and footsteps disappeared, she whirled around suddenly, backing Draco into the wall. He looked stunned, although Ginny sensed that he had been expecting something like this happening to a certain degree.

"What do you think you are doing?" She hissed, glaring up at the taller boy.

"Proving to you how much more superior I am than Blaise." He said, staring down at her as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, you're not, and I don't think you should be dragging me into alcoves while I'm dating Blaise, however noble or not your intentions are." She said with hatred before spinning on her heel and walking out of the alcove. Draco stayed behind, watching the compassionate girl stalk away angrily. He smirked. A few more encounters like this and he'd have Ginny in the palm of his hand.

**********************************************************************

Blaise had looked everywhere. Where had his little spitfire run off to? Sighing, he decided to give up for now and return to the Slytherin Common Room. It was then he realized he was in front of the Great Hall. Peering inside, he scanned the tables, looking for Ginny. Sighing again, he saw that she was here either, turning, he walked right into someone, knocking them to the ground. He looked down at the victim to see his girlfriend on the floor, looking up at him. He smiled and offered her his hand.

"I've been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been?" He asked, doing an impersonation of a scolding mother, yet keeping his smile in place. Ginny stood up.

"I was… hiding from Filch." Replied Ginny. She had told him the truth, just not all of it. "And that bloody hurt. You're like a brick wall." She said.

"It's my rock hard abs." Blaise replied jokingly, before his eyes glinted. "The hunter injures his prey!" He exclaimed, lunged at her. She dodged, laughing, and ran in the other direction. "The hunt is on!" He roared, before sprinting after his girlfriend.

************************************

They ran for awhile, Blaise chasing Ginny, Ginny running away, Blaise almost catching Ginny, Ginny quickly manoeuvring Blaise. Finally, they ended up out of breath, unsure of where they were. Looking around, they saw they were in the library. The Muggle Studies Section. Blaise pulled Ginny into a hug.

"Look love! It's where we first met!" He said happily, keeping his voice low. He had been too preoccupied with chasing Ginny to notice at the time, but when he thought about it, he remembered Madam Pince glaring at them from her desk as they sprinted into the library. Ginny smiled as shyly kissed his cheek. She was really beginning to enjoy being Blaise's girlfriend. She pulled away, but Blaise wasn't having any of that. He bent his head down and kissed her tenderly. They broke apart, smiling sincerely at one another, still in their embrace. They looked out the window to see that snow was falling from the November sky, having already accumulated around a foot of snow that stuck to the ground. Ginny suddenly got an idea. She looked up at her boyfriend, who seemed to have noticed the excited expression in her eyes.

"What?" He asked suspiciously, looking down at her, his smile fading.

"Can you meet me at the Quidditch Pitch in forty minutes?" Ginny asked, trying to keep any emotion from seeping from her mind to her voice.

"Yes. Why?" He asked, looking down at her with mock suspicion now.

"Not telling!" She said, kissing him quickly on the cheek before backing away.

"You aren't planning on flying are you?" Blaise said incredulously. "We'll freeze!" Ginny just smiled and shook her head, looking at him from the library's exit. "Just be there in forty minutes!" She sang, earning her a glare colder than the snow outside from Madam Pince. "Miss Weasley, this is the library!" She exclaimed quietly, her stiff voice still managing to reach Ginny. Blaise winked at Ginny, and she returned the gesture by giving him a small smile before running out of the library. Blaise sat on the same desk he had when Ginny had first run out of the library that fateful day he met her. Once again, he thought of Ginny.

"What is she planning?" He wondered aloud, muttering to himself. An oddly familiar first year Hufflepuff boy, this time accompanied by a small wide-eyed first year Ravenclaw girl looked up at him. "Who are you talking to this time?" The boy asked Blaise. Rather than yell at the boy like he had the last time, he looked down at the two, a small smile on his face. "No one, kid. Have a nice day." He said, walking past the two and through a series of bookshelves before walking out of the library, stopping only when he reached the Slytherin Common Room. He jogged to his dormitory and changed into some heavier clothes, thinking that he would need them for whatever Ginny had planned.

************************************************************************ Well, what did you think? I really hope that these two chapters in one day make up for my lack of reviewing these past couple of weeks. For those wondering about the oddly familiar Hufflepuff first year, please reread chapter two. I thought adding that shows how Blaise has changed after spending time with Ginny. SO, Read and Review, my cupcakes, and there will be more chapters to come! Next chapter's planned out, just needs to be expanded and edited and stuff. Rest assured, it's good. Well, I like it, and those of you who have read this fanfic before it was removed and edited should remember it and like it too. PLEASE read my other fanfic, The New Girl, review and take the poll that goes with it. It'd be much appreciated. Thank you for reading, love you guys!


	7. Chapter 8

Yay! My wonderful reviewers are fantabulous! I'm dedicating this chapter to** The Darkness Is Gaining** for having such an awesome username, AND for being such a devoted reviewer and reader of this fanfic. On with the Chappie!

Chapter Eight: Snowy and Saved:

Blaise walked onto the snowy Quidditch pitch to meet Ginny half an hour after they'd been in the library. He was still several minutes early, and he knew it, but he wanted to see his little spitfire again as soon as possible. He looked around, stepping in the soft, fluffy drifts of fresh fallen snow, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, something cold hit him in the back of the head with a splat. He turned around to see who had thrown the snowball at his head, but no one was there. Splat. He got hit with another one. He looked around wildly, trying to find out who it was. Suddenly, he heard a giggle from up above. He looked up, following the noise, but nothing was there. Then, a figure appeared from the snowy clouds of mist that covered the Quidditch Pitch. There sat Ginny Weasley on a broomstick, ten or so feet above him with an armful of snowballs and her warmest cloak draped across her shoulders. Blaise smiled widely and waved up at her. She responded to this by showering him with snowballs. Blaise looked up at her triumphant, smirking face and decided to fight back. He grabbed his wand from out of his pocket and started to charm the snow into balls and enchanting it to float up and attack her. She dodged many, but the occasional snowball hit her from time to time, causing her to giggle.

"What's the matter, Blaise? Can't beat me without using magic?!?!" Ginny taunted laughingly from up above, firing snowballs at him the whole time from a height of around fifty feet. Suddenly, a ball of snow hit him directly over the head. He winced, but shook off the pain. He looked up at her with a wolfish grin and levitated an enormous pile of snow, bewitching it to shoot at the flying girl. Ginny gasped, flying higher and higher in an attempt to dodge it, but the mound of snow hit her hard. She tried to hold on to the broom, clinging to it tightly with her entire body, but the force of the snow was too much for the girl. She slipped off the broom and began to plummet to the ground. Her fiery hair blew around her face, her cheeks pink from laughter and the cold. Ginny closed her eyes as she fell to the ground back first. She must be getting close to death now, she reasoned, thinking to herself. This is the end, Ginny's head exclaimed, her life flashing before her eyes. She was in too much shock to scream.

"GINNY!!!" Blaise yelled, frantically trying to think of a spell to save her. When he couldn't think of one, he sprinted towards her falling form, hoping she would be alright but knowing inside that there would be no hope for the girl. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Blaise saw something flying with immense speed over the Forbidden Forest. Seconds later, a blur zoomed towards Ginny and collided with her.

**What Ginny Saw and Thought:**

Ginny gasped, she had stopped falling, but was still moving. Opening her eyes, she saw three things. She was flying sideways, she was alive, and, most horrifically of all, she was in the arms of Draco Malfoy. The blond was now zooming to the centre of the Quidditch Pitch to make what she knew would be an overly-dramatic stop. She could see a miniature version of Blaise standing there, shocked, watching Draco fly with Ginny.

"Alright there Weasley?" She heard Draco bellow over the sound of the rushing wind. "You gave Blaise and me one hell of a fright. Although he probably won't be too happy with me saving you instead of him!" He grinned at her. But it wasn't one of his usual arrogant smiles, Ginny realized. It was more endearing, and she could sense the relief and pride in his voice, mixed in with its usual arrogant cockiness.

"Don't worry, Draco. Odds are, your attempts at showing off will end up with you flying off your broom and landing on your arrogant ass, in what would undoubtedly be a hilarious spectacle. Of course, moments before plummeting to your death or severe injury, I'd end up swooping down on your broom and saving you!" Ginny said, wincing slightly as her head throbbing like crazy. Draco chuckled before he pressed Ginny's frozen body closer to his warm one.

"Very funny. But are you sure you're alright?" He asked, his expression quickly becoming concerned again.

"I'll be fine… Draco." Ginny said. She was starting to feel dizzy and woozy. She saw Draco's eyes widen in both fear for her condition and shock that she had used his first name. Next, she felt herself being lowered onto the ground. A warm, soft cloak was wrapped around her, heating her up a little. They walked behind her, and she couldn't see what they were doing, but she heard a yelp and then Draco and a now-snow covered Blaise walked back into her line of vision. She watched Draco and Blaise talk for a few moments before walking over to her. Draco knelt down beside her, brushing her frozen bangs out of her eyes and smiling. Then he jumped back on his broom and flew towards the castle, probably to notify Madame Pomfrey. Blaise gently lifted her up into his arms and began walking back to the castle. The last thing Ginny saw was Blaise's expression. His face was filled with concern, fear, sadness, a slight bit of anger, and above all, shame. Slowly, Ginny drifted into unconsciousness.

"Ginny!"

**What Draco Saw and Thought:**

It was all too perfect, Draco thought to himself as he zoomed over the Forbidden Forest on his Nimbus 2001. Little Ginny had sung about her plan as she danced through the corridors, and he just happened to overhear. Now the little angel was falling to the ground. He knew he had enough time to save her, he knew that he would be her hero, thus picking himself over Blaise. The idiotic prat was just standing there shocked and covered in snow when he could be the one saving Ginny. Not that Draco cared, now he had another reason for Ginny to pick him. Flying like a madman, he shot his broom straight for Ginny, catching her frozen form in his arms. Her eyes were closed, her lips frozen shut, her cheeks flushed, hair blown all around her. Her large chocolate brown eyes opened moments later, curious. Then they landed on him. He aimed his broom down slightly, planning on circling a few times to check the girl's condition.

"Alright there, Weasley?" He roared, being sure to make himself heard. "You gave Blaise and me one hell of a fright. Although he probably won't be too happy with me saving you instead of him!" He grinned wolfishly at his comment, more of a friendly and concerned smile than a smirk.

"Don't worry, Draco. Odds are, your attempts at showing off will end up with you flying off your broom and landing on your arrogant ass, in what would undoubtedly be a hilarious spectacle. Of course, moments before plummeting to your death or severe injury, I'd end up swooping down on your broom and saving you!" Ginny said, lightly wincing in pain. Draco chuckled. She was such a spitfire, even in her current condition. He noticed her wince and gently moved Ginny's frozen body closer to his warmer one.

"Very funny." He commented, looking down at the girl. She was trying to be strong, he could sense it, but it was also taking away much of her energy. "But are you sure you're all right?" He asked, knowing full well that the girl would say she was fine. Ridiculous stubborn Weasleys.

"I'll be fine… Draco." She said, her eyes fluttering closed. Draco almost fell off his broom with worry and shock. 'She damned well better be okay, or I'm going to kill Blaise,' He thought to himself, steering the broom down to the ground. Blaise was beside them in a second, face concerned.

"Draco! Is she alright?" He gasped, breathless. Draco carefully lowered Ginny to the ground, wrapping her in his cloak. Taking a deep breath, he motioned for Blaise to walk behind Ginny. The boy curiously obliged, and when he did, Draco sprung into action. He tackled the boy to the ground, shoving him into the snow.

"She may very well not be alright, you git! What the hell were you thinking, attacking her with that snow drift!" He roared, slamming Blaise's head into the snow. Blaise gave a muffled response, so Draco pulled his head up.

"I didn't know it would knock her off her broom. We were just having fun. And then I couldn't think of a spell to save-" Draco then decided to cut him off by replacing his head in the snow harder than before. Finally, he decided to free his best friend. Draco walked back in front of Ginny, Blaise close behind. They looked at the frozen girl, who looked up at them bleakly.

"I'm going to fly into the Hospital Wing to notify Madame Pomfrey. I want you to carry Ginny and meet me there. However, if this little task seems too difficult for you, I'll just take her myself." Draco said, glaring coldly.

"I'll do it." Blaise assured. Draco nodded before walking over to Ginny. Kneeling down, he brushed her bangs, frozen together by the cold, out of her eyes and smiled at her. Listening, her breathing seemed labored. He leaped up, jumped on his broom and flew to the Hospital Wing, hoping she would be all right.

**What Blaise Saw and Thought:**

For a brief moment, Blaise felt relief as the figure on the broom saved Ginny. Moments later, however, he groaned. It was Draco who had saved Ginny. Why did that git always have to ruin everything? Although, in this case, he couldn't be exceptionally furious with Draco. After all, he did save Ginny, unlike he had been able to do. Letting the words he had just heard inside his head sink in, he growled, frustrated. He hadn't been able to save Ginny, it was all Draco, he was completely useless. Sighing heavily, he saw Draco touch down with Ginny, and he sprinted over to them as fast as the snow drifts would allow.

"Draco! Is she alright?" He asked, breathless. He watched as Draco carefully lowered Ginny to the ground, wrapping her in his cloak. Blaise looked down at the petite Gryffindor. She looked frozen solid, her cheeks flushed, lips frozen shut, ice crystals sticking to her eyelashes. Draco motioned for him to walk behind Ginny. Curious, he followed. As soon as he was out of Ginny's line of sight, Draco pounced on him, tackling him face first into the snow.

"She may very well not be alright, you git! What the hell were you thinking, attacking her with that snow drift!" Draco roared, slamming his head into the snow. Blaise winced and tried speaking, but the snow produced a muffled response. Draco then pulled his head up by his hair.

"I didn't know it would knock her off her broom. We were just having fun. And then I couldn't think of a spell to save-" Draco then decided to cut off his excuse by slamming his head in the snow harder than before. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Draco let him up. He coughed, sputtering, and followed Draco as he returned to Ginny. His heart ached as he saw Ginny look at them, her face frozen in pain, shivering. Draco took him aside.

"I'm going to fly into the Hospital Wing to notify Madame Pomfrey. I want you to carry Ginny and meet me there. However, if this little task seems too difficult for you, I'll just take her myself." Draco said, glaring coldly at him.

"I'll do it." Blaise assured. No way was he letting Draco be the hero in everything. Draco nodded before walking over to Ginny. Kneeling down, he brushed her bangs, frozen together by the cold, out of her eyes and smiled at her. Blaise growled quietly, wanting nothing more than to pound Draco into the snow but fearing Ginny might not approve. Draco then disappeared on his broom. Blaise took his wand and melted the ice with a spell, so as not to freeze Ginny further. He picked up the fragile girl in his arms and began to walk back to the castle. She looked at him, large chocolate brown eyes revealing pain, fear and sympathy. Blaise's heart pained him. 'Don't cry. Not in front of Ginny.' He prayed on the inside, taking a deep breath and looking back down at the girl. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow and labored.

"Ginny!" He exclaimed, as he watched the helpless girl drift into unconsciousness.

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What did you think? I'm happy with how this chapter turned out, hope you are too. Sorry for taking so long, and PLEASE R&R! Love you, my cupcakes!


	8. Chapter 9

This will be the last chapter this month, but I'll post the next few as soon as I get back in August. Bombard me with messages if I don't, sometimes I need a kick in the butt to get me going. To the Chappie!

Chapter 9: Complications of Emotions:

Ginny woke up in the hospital wing feeling a bit shocked but perfectly fine. She opened her eyes slowly, moving her limbs gently to ensure nothing was injured in any way. She turned to her left and saw a huge stack of presents and cards on the table. From Hermione, Luna, Mia, her brothers, from Harry, from Colin- from Harry? Ginny picked up that box. She read the note that was attached to Harry's box.

_Ginny,_

_So sorry to hear what those Slytherins did to you. I'm glad to hear that you're doing okay, you'll have to tell me the whole story when you're out of the hospital wing. I'll make sure those gits get what they deserve, don't worry, it'll be my pleasure._

-_Harry_

_P.S. We need to talk about some things. Why do you keep disappearing? Why were you on the pitch with the Slytherins? What's going on, Ginny, we're all worried about you. We should talk sometime._

We should talk sometime? Why was Harry suddenly all worried about her? Was he just looking for an excuse to play the hero and hurt the Slytherins? Would he ask her to the Yule Ball? Ginny thought about the last theory for a moment, before deciding that she wouldn't want to go to the ball with Harry even if he did ask her. Blaise and Draco wouldn't allow her to in the first place, and Ginny was starting to have second thoughts about him. The two Slytherins were starting to grow on her, especially Blaise, and she didn't know if Harry really liked her anyway. She was brought out of her thoughts by a breath of air being let out somewhere in the room. She followed the sound to a shadowed figure sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. She silently got out of bed and walked over to the person. There, sleeping in the chair was her Blaise. His arms were folded, his head tilted to one side and an angelic expression on his face. Ginny smiled. He was so adorable when he was sleeping. Without realizing what she was doing, she leaned forward and kissed Blaise gently on the lips. She pulled away after a moment, and noticed his lips curl into a smile. He opened his eyes sleepily before looking at her, smirking and saying, "Thanks, love, do I always get a kiss while I'm sleeping?"

Ginny blushed deeply, her cheeks appearing even redder with moonlight reflecting off of her fair skin. "Sorry for waking you, Sleeping Beauty." Ginny said, sticking her tongue out at him. Blaise chuckled quietly before his face became abashed.

"This is for you. I just want to apologize. I never should have sent all that snow at you. And I'm so sorry I didn't do anything to save you." He held out a flower to her. Ginny recognized it from Neville's herbology books. It was a magical lily that would change colors and could never die.

"Oh Blaise, please don't apologize. I completely understand. You were probably just in shock, I would've done the same thing." Ginny said, taking his hand and squeezing it with a smile. Blaise shook his head.

"No. It's my fault. If Draco hadn't been there, you would've…" He trailed off, removing his hand from Ginny's and burying his face in both hands. Ginny gave him a hug, but he shook her off.

"I'm not worth you, Gin. I've only hurt you. You should go with Draco, he can take care of you." He mumbled, refusing to look at her. Ginny gasped and grabbed his head with both hands, turning it so he would look at her. He kept his eyes cast down, determined to not met her gaze.

"Blaise Zabini, look at me right now." Demanded Ginny, and Blaise's eyes reluctantly looked up at her. "None of this is your fault, and even if it was, I wouldn't care." She said. Blaise opened his mouth to speak, but she continued hastily to prevent him from speaking. "Draco may have been the one who saved me, but he is nothing compared to you. You're sweet, and kind and caring and considerate and maybe a bit too arrogant-" She paused to smile at him. "-But I already like you more than I've ever liked anyone. Today was so much fun I could care less that I fell off a broom, I was with you, and that made me happy." She finished, grinning with satisfaction at her speech. Blaise looked at her, astounded for a moment, before pulling her into a hug.

"Now I really don't deserve you." He mumbled into her hair. "You're too forgiving." Ginny silenced him with a quick kiss.

"Thank you so much for the lily; it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" Ginny said, smiling at him and walking across the room to sit on the edge of her bed, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"That flower's beauty is nothing compared to you." Blaise murmured, walking over to sit down next to her. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and she placed her head on his shoulder. He kissed her on top of the head and, for a while, they sat in complete silence, each just enjoying the other's company.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Exclaimed the shrill shriek of Madame Pomfrey. Blaise sighed. He removed his arm from Ginny, who pouted, and walked over to the uptight nurse.

"I was consoling Ginny." He said bluntly, eyeing the witch as if she was the cause of Ginny being in the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey looked from Blaise to Ginny and then back to Blaise.

"Nonetheless, it is much too early to be visiting a patient!" She exclaimed.

"But I've been here all nig-" Blaise began to argue, but Madame Pomfrey pointed to the doors.

"Out!" She ordered. Blaise sighed and walked over to Ginny. Taking her hands, he kissed them, causing her to smile and blush lightly.

"I'll see you soon," He promised, smiling at her. Sighing, he dropped the girl's hands and walked to the doors, pausing to glare at Madame Pomfrey as he left. The nurse waited until he had left before turning to Ginny. She searched through her medicine cabinet, potion bottles clattering as she searched for the right one. Finding it, she walked over to Ginny's bed and grabbed the cup off her bedside table.

"From what Mr. Zabini told me, you are lucky to be alive!" She exclaimed, pouring some of the potion into the flask and handing it to her, giving Ginny a rare smile. Ever since her recovery in the hospital wing from the events in the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny and Madame Pomfrey had gotten closer. Ginny saw her as a motherly figure.

"Yes, it was really rather frightening, I felt like a rock, falling so quickly, yet like a feather, because it never seemed to end." Ginny replied, in a dreamy state, revelling for the first time in what had occurred. She still had a hard time believing that Draco had saved her. She quickly downed the potion, grimacing for a moment before looking up at the nurse expectantly.

"Well, I don't need to keep you here any longer. It's already five thirty in the morning. If you don't want to sleep, I suppose you can go to the Great Hall and wait for breakfast." Madame Pomfrey said before nodding at the boxes and notes. "And I'll have a house elf take these up to your dormitory." Ginny nodded her thanks and silently left the room. She was still thinking about what had happened, about how she had almost died. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the massive oak doors of the Great Hall. She pushed the door open, looked inside and her mouth fell open. There, sitting alone in the grey gloom of the early morning was Draco Malfoy. He turned to her, staring at her with much interest, before motioning for her to come sit across from him. Ginny walked over and sat down without realizing what she was doing. Suddenly, their eyes met.

"Are you feeling better?" Draco asked, concern lacing his voice despite his obvious attempts to sound indifferent. "Although I suppose if you were still in pain, Madame Pomfrey wouldn't have allowed you to leave." he trailed off. Ginny smiled at his sudden sarcasm.

"Yes. Thank you so much for saving me, even though it isn't really what you do. Save people I mean. And how did you know I would be there?" Ginny ended inquisitively.

"Well, I saw you walk out of the library talking to yourself about your plan. So, I was planning on joining you and burying Blaise in an avalanche and prove to you why I'm much more superior to him. But when I arrived, I saw you in the air, falling and Blaise doing absolutely nothing. So I figured I may as well be the hero for once in my lifetime." Draco finished, amusement in his eyes.

"Blaise was just in shock! You probably would have done the same thing-"

"But Blaise wouldn't have been there to catch you. And besides, I wouldn't have frozen like he did. I would have saved you, which is more than you can say for him." Draco finished angrily. They broke eye contact and ignored the other for several minutes, heads turned in opposite directions. Then Ginny's conscience started to get to her, and she began to feel guilty. Mentally cursing her kindness, she turned her body to face him. He didn't move the entire time, possibly battling with his own conscience. She tried to make eye contact with little success. Draco didn't respond, he didn't even blink, he just continued looking at the far wall of the Great Hall. Ginny hesitantly placed her hands on his. At this gesture, he looked at their hands, and then looked at her apprehensively.

"Ginny, I don't think Blaise would-"

"I'm sorry Draco. I guess I'm not really showing my appreciation. And I suppose you're right. You were the one that saved me, not Blaise." Ginny finished and saw that Draco was staring at her intently. He was leaning in for to kiss her, but must have realized what he was doing half way through and backed off. 'I can't kiss her, Blaise would kill me,' Draco thought to himself. 'And I'll be able to kiss her next week when it's my turn to date her,' he reasoned with himself.

"I suppose you're right as well. It wasn't Blaise's fault. I mean, it was, but that's all behind us now. I mean, you're safe, so who cares who saved you or not, right?" He ended, and Ginny looked up at him admiringly, impressed with his reasoning.

"Look at you!" She exclaimed. "Draco Malfoy, turning into an emotional human, what will the world say?" Draco pushed her playfully.

"Maybe I am, so don't spread it around. Stupid, adorable Gryffindor, breaking down my defences." He grumbled, causing Ginny to stick her tongue out at him. He chuckled.

"You do that a lot." He commented.

"What, so now you document my habits?" Ginny asked.

"Maybe." Said Draco tauntingly. Ginny giggled and then yawned sleepily.

"You should get some sleep." He said, turning back into the more concerned Draco. Ginny pouted. "Don't wanna."

"Yes, you do. Besides, we don't have classes tomorrow, it's Sunday, you can sleep in." He said, attempting to reason with the stubborn redhead.

"Aha! So now you're trying to cut down on Blaise's time with me!" She concluded, standing up. "But fine, I'll go to sleep."

"And undoubtedly dream of me." He commented, taking her hand and kissing it.

She blushed before smiling slightly. "Good night, Draco." She said quietly, smiling at him for a moment before turning towards the doors of the Great Hall and disappearing behind them moments later, leaving Draco alone once again. He stared at the candle in front of him, thinking of Ginny.

"You." Said a hoarse voice, causing Draco to jump slightly. Turning, he saw Blaise in front of the window, his silhouette possessing limited color. "How could you?" He continued, walking towards the blond.

"How could I what?" Draco said, rolling his eyes and his best friend's dramatics.

"How could you what?" Exclaimed Blaise incredulously. "How about saving MY girlfriend, hitting on MY girlfriend, telling MY girlfriend how horrible you think I am compared to you? I thought we were friends, Drake." Blaise trailed off.

"Whose idea was it to come up with dating Ginny? Mine." Draco retorted. "Who sent the snow flying at her? You did. Who rescued her while you sat there and did nothing? I did. She's only your girlfriend for a week, Blaise. She came here, not expecting to see me. She came here, she apologized. I told her my opinions on our… situation. Sorry if it isn't what you wanted to hear, but all's fair in love and war." Draco added, sneering as he walked past the dark boy.

"You will not win this time, Draco. I've been your best friend ever since we were babies. You always got the best out of everything. Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin. Who am I? Just his best friend that's supposed to remain in the shadows while he get's everything his heart desires. It's never Blaise's turn, always Draco's. Well not this time. For once, it will be my turn. I deserve it. I've had enough of waiting backstage while you hog the spotlight. I've loved Ginny Weasley ever since I first saw her."

"And you don't think I feel the same?" Draco cut in. Blaise shook his head.

"I don't care if you do. I know that no one will ever love her more than I do, no one will ever care for her as much as I do, no one thinks about her as much as I do, no one's heart beats, saying her name. No one truly appreciates her like I do, passes every second they're alive wishing she would pick them and stay with them forever like I do. I love her, Draco, more than you or anyone else ever will." Blaise said, taking a deep breath after his little rant.

"Oh really?" Said Draco, seemingly unaffected by Blaise's rant. "We'll just see about that." And with that, he left the Great Hall.

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Boy drama! Aw, they're so cute. Hope you liked it, I did! Again, this will be my last chapter before August, but I'll post lots as soon as I get back, author's honour. I hope I get lots of reviews, and thanks for reading, my cupcakes!


	9. PLEASE READ So Sorry!

I am so, SO sorry to all of my dedicated and waiting reviewers who are wondering why I haven't posted. REALLY SORRY! I hope you'll all forgive me, my dear cupcakes, but my vacation was lengthened, I was ill AND I had writer's block! To make it up to you, i'm currently working on a super long, important chapter of TBTS, which should be posted soon. Again, I apologize to you all. Thank you for being so dedicated, for giving me such thoughtful reviews, and for waiting so patiently. I PROMISE to have the next chapter up by the end of the week and that this will be my only author's note (I know how they bother people).

Hope you all don't hate me, RR.


	10. Chapter 10 Part 1

I'm Baaaaack!!! Man it feels good to be at my computer again! I missed you all SO much! And I'm really, really, REALLY sorry again that it took me so long to post this! But I wanted it to be a really long, really good chapter (which you all hopefully think it is) so I couldn't rush it. Myuuuu!!!

So, to start things off and to make up for last month's absence, an extra-long chapter of TBTS! ENJOY, my cupcakes!

Chapter 10: Part One: All's Fair in Love and War:

**Ginny=**

Ginny awoke a few hours later- having taken Draco's advice- completely oblivious to the fact that she had been the cause of the near separation of two best friends. She smiled happily as she leaped out of her four poster bed- after all, she believed she had resolved issues with both boys several hours earlier, though not realizing the consequence of her attempted peacekeeping had resulted in a larger conflict between Draco and Blaise. As she brushed her trademark Weasley hair, she counted the days until the Yule Ball. Eleven days remained, three days as Blaise's girlfriend, seven as Draco's and the final day… the decision. Ginny shuddered whenever she had to think about choosing between the two Slytherins. Blaise and Draco had been best friends since they were toddlers, and it wasn't as if Ginny could just make her decision and everything would be good… or could it? Ginny pushed that thought from her mind- it was only a week and a half until Christmas, she didn't want that depressing thought entering her mind. She turned her attention to a slightly more cheerful topic. What in Merlin's name was she going to wear? She didn't have any dress robes, and if she wanted to arrive in anything remotely attractive, she'd only be able to afford a sleeve of a gown. Sighing, she gave her reflection a quick check, and then giggled at what she saw.

"Oh Merlin, I'm a Slytherin!" She exclaimed to her reflection. Ginny was wearing a dark green turtleneck, a black skirt and a pair of silver shoes. Hoping her dimwitted brother- or Fred or George, though Ron was the most protective of her- wouldn't make the connection between her clothing colors and the boys who now made up a large part of her life, she walked back to her four poster bed. Gathering her second-hand textbooks, her parchment and quills, she reached over to her book bag and placed the items inside textbooks first so the quills wouldn't fall through the three holes in the bottom. She didn't have any more classes until after the Ball, but that hadn't stopped her professors from giving her an extremely unfair amount of homework. She headed for the door, planning to eat breakfast with Luna and convince Blaise to let the girls work in the library. She carefully slung the bag over her shoulder, and left the girls' dormitories. She paused at the top of the stairs, scanning the Gryffindor Common Room for anyone who would give her a hard time- mainly just Ron. When she was sure he was still asleep, or at least, not in the Common Room, she walked down the steps and through the portrait hole.

**Blaise=**

Blaise awoke the next morning, the satin emerald green bedspread of his exquisite king-sized bed rustling as he stretched. He blinked sleepily and yawned, shaking his head to remove his dark hair from his eyes. Sitting up, he looked to the door on his left, which led to his lavish personal bathroom. His eyes lingered on the door for a moment before he glared angrily at the door to his right that connected his room to Draco's as his head reminded him of a few hours ago. The Malfoys and the Zabinis had received personal living quarters for generations, a fact both boys enjoyed immensely. He removed his gaze from the door on the right and stretched once more before slipping out from under the covers and walking with stiff legs to the bathroom. He emerged one hot shower later, his hair damp and hanging in front of his eyes. He strode into the massive closet, selecting a light green button up shirt that complimented his dark skin nicely, and a pair of black pants. He hummed to himself as he changed, then walked to the floor length mirror rimmed in silver. He magically dried his hair with a quick spell and styled it to its usual flawless perfection. He only had three days left as Ginny's boyfriend, and he'd have to be an idiot to waste them. He turned to walk through the dark ebony door across from his bed that would lead to the sitting room he and Draco shared- which, he realized with reluctance, contained the only exit- when he caught his reflection once more in the mirror. He gave himself a Slytherin-worthy once over, moved a section of his dark hair ever so slightly, cockily brushed non-existent dust particles from his clothes and winked at his reflection. Even if he **was** now in love, and with a sweet, innocent Gryffindor like Ginny, some things, like his flirtatious cockiness and overall Slytherinity, would never completely disappear. Who knows, he reasoned, maybe it was the combination of his charm, humour, talent and Slytherin-ness that made Ginny blush slightly whenever she saw him. He grinned- Ginny didn't realize he noticed every move she made. Things that made her blush, giggle, stare up at him with love struck eyes… CRASH! Blaise leaped back as the mirror he wasn't aware he was leaning on fell to the ground. It shattered into tiny pieces which flew everywhere, including at him.

"DAMN!" He cursed, kicking the mirror shards that landed in front of him. "That was my favourite mirror!" He exclaimed, before chuckling and pulling out his mahogany and dragon heartstring wand. "Reparo!" He called out in a bored tone and watched as the mirror repaired itself. Sighing and muttering about the brilliance of magic, he gave himself once last wink in the mirror before heading to the sitting room where he hoped he wouldn't meet Draco.

**Draco=**

Draco's eyes fluttered open slowly and sleepily just a few hours after he'd met Ginny in the Great Hall… followed by Blaise's performance. His silver sheets sparkled slightly at the small movements he made as he woke himself up. His mind was whirring like only a devious Malfoy's mind could. How could he convince Ginny to choose him over Zabini, he thought, refusing to call his current enemy by first name. Maybe he could do some research in the library before breakfast, he thought. Maybe just this one time, he told himself, I don't want to turn into Granger. He smirked at the thought and glanced at the clock. It was only seven thirty; he had plenty of time for research before breakfast. He leaped gracefully out of bed, pausing to gaze at his reflection in the mirror in the way a mother would look at her newborn child before walking to the extravagant bathroom, taking a quick shower and emerging from the steaming room fifteen minutes later, towelling his platinum blond hair dry, grey eyes searching. Chilled, considering he was bare-chested, ((A/N: Had fun writing that!)) he stalked to the large closet for some of his more alluring clothes. Hey, he reasoned, if he wanted Ginny to pick him, he couldn't take any chances anymore. He chose a dark blue shirt, which was striking against his fair skin, ashy blond hair and grey eyes, and black pants. Striding to the mirror, he mussed around with his hair until it gave the "My hair is so messy it looks perfect" image he was going for. Giving himself an arrogant scan, he was positive that any female member of the student population at Hogwarts, including Ginny, would be drooling as he walked by. Finally managing to break the gaze of his self-proclaimed incredibly attractive reflection, he started towards the dark wooden door that would lead to he and Bla-**Zabini's** sitting room, unfortunately holding the only exit. Reasoning that Blaise probably wasn't even awake yet, undoubtedly having wonderful dreams of Ginny, he thought it would be safe to go into the sitting room without running into his rival. Sighing and rolling his eyes nonchalantly, he walked across the room to the door. To win Ginny over properly, he had some serious research to do. Besides, all was fair in love and war, and this was definitely war now… er, love. He shook his head at the stupid muggle quote he read somewhere and reached to push open the door. He slammed into it and fell back, glaring at the demonic door with horror and fury.

"Stupid pull door," He muttered viciously, scrambling to the mirror to ensure his perfection hadn't been ruined in any way. "It gets me every damn time!" He exclaimed, walking back over to the door and pulling it open, thus beginning his journey to the library.

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Ginny stepped though the portrait hole, weighed down by her books. Sighing, she turned left, headed to the Great Hall. Someone snatched her hand and spun her around, pulling her close to them. She looked up at Blaise and grinned, wrapping her arms around him. However, since their relationship had been kept a secret, their embrace didn't last long. They walked to a little alcove, keeping them hidden from passers-by. They interlocked their hands lovingly and gazed into each other's eyes.

"I'll meet you right after breakfast," Blaise promised, raising their hands to brush his lips against Ginny's knuckles, smiling slightly when she blushed. He lowered their hands, releasing hers to wrap his own around her waist. She reached up, standing on tiptoes to fasten her arms around his neck. He smirked at her efforts and bent his head down to kiss her. The kiss was tender and loving and left Ginny's mind spinning though it had only lasted a few moments. He grinned as she struggled to compose herself.

"I'll meet you in the library then, Luna and I have a lot of homework to do." Ginny said.

"And does Luna know about us?" Blaise asked huskily, backing the small girl into a wall, surprised when Ginny gave a burst of laughter.

"Oh, she figured it out awhile ago. Honestly, that girl doesn't miss anything!" Ginny commented, still chuckling quietly. Blaise bowed his head, kissing her quickly before pulling back and giving her that lopsided grin that made her heart skip a beat no matter how many times he did it.

"I'll meet you in the library then, love." Said Blaise, blowing her a kiss for good measure before leaving.

Ginny sighed, pressing herself against the cool stone wall. She knew she should wait a few minutes before leaving- their relationship might otherwise be discovered- so she thought about Blaise… her Blaise. Ginny wondered how Draco could possibly outshine Blaise in any aspect. The dark boy was just so… right for her. Sweet, smart, funny and caring with a little essence of Slytherin thrown in PLUS incredible good looks. What more could Ginny ask for? Still, she reasoned with her self, she would give Draco his chance- who knows, maybe the blond could be all Blaise was and more! Deciding she'd waited long enough, the redhead left the alcove, seeming to float down the stairs to the Great Hall and over to an abandoned end of the Ravenclaw table, seating herself next to Luna. She grabbed a plate and selected a few items. Her best friend surveyed her suspiciously behind her upside-down copy of the Quibbler as she twirled her cork necklace through her fingers.

"And just where have you been?" Asked Luna innocently, not looking up from her magazine. Ginny flushed automatically, but was quickly able to compose herself.

"Just, you know, sleeping in, enjoying the holidays." She replied nonchalantly, biting her toast to prevent conversation. Luna sighed, rolled her eyes and placed a bookmark with multi-colored tongues decorating it in her magazine, marking her place, before removing it from the table.

"Oh come on!" She exclaimed, locking her large blue-grey eyes on her best friend's chocolate brown ones.

"You KNOW you're horrible at lying, Ginny. You know, you COULD just tell your best friend that you were off with your Slytherin suitors. Although, quite honestly, I'd like to be able to hang out with my best friend with her two boyfriends of sorts occasionally." She finished, out of breath from her speech. She placed her elbows on the table with her head in her hands, her body shifted towards Ginny, gaze expectant. Ginny smiled inwardly; she couldn't have asked for a better reaction from Luna.

"As a matter of fact; I'm meeting Blaise in the library after breakfast. I need to get started on all of my homework. You'll come right?" She asked.

"Of course I will, Gin!" The blond replied happily. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you…" Luna's babbling seemed suddenly unimportant to Ginny when her eyes locked on Blaise's, who had apparently been staring at her for quite some time. He looked up, motioning for her eyes to follow. She noticed the large Tawny owl flying towards her from the Slytherin table. She looked back at her boyfriend questioningly, but his eyes weren't revealing anything. She reluctantly broke eye contact with him so people wouldn't notice she was staring. Her eyes casually scanned the Great Hall and came across the large oak doors. A moment later, Draco stepped through them, causing Ginny's mouth to fall open. Draco was even more attractive than usual. His eyes locked on hers and he smiled brightly at her.

"Ginny! Yoo-hoo, Earth to Gin!" Luna called, tugging on her friend's sleeve. Ginny broke eye contact immediately and looked at her best friend, a blush trying to make itself seen through her freckles.

"I'm sorry, Luna, what were you saying?" asked Ginny, determined not to acknowledge the two pairs of eyes she could feel on her.

"I suppose I'll tell you in a moment; you've got mail." She said, nodding at the letter that had fallen onto Ginny's half-eaten toast. Ginny grabbed the letter and turned away from Luna, but the girl spun her back around.

"Nu-uh," She said. "As your best friend, I am legally aloud, no **obligated** to read all love letters you receive." Ginny sighed and scooted closer to her best friend before opening the letter. She instantly recognized Blaise's elegant writing in emerald green ink.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Since you insist that we spend some time in the library after breakfast (you're absolutely insane for wanting to do schoolwork on holidays, by the way), __**I**__ insist that we go to Hogsmeade to shop for your Yule Ball dress today after lunch. Bring Luna, and I'll bring Draco, and the four of us can go together. Draco and I also insist on paying for everything for both of you- Don't bother fighting us on this, love; trust me, it'll be fun! And since I can safely assume she's talked you into letting her read this (Which is why I won't be including anything too graphic in __this__ letter *wink wink*), I'm asking Luna to ensure that you don't go running off to her Common Room to hide, because two Slytherins flying into the Gryffindor Common Room's window on broomsticks to kidnap a Gryffindor girl would not look very good to others. And before assuming that your lovely blond friend wouldn't sell you out and hand you over to Slytherins, just remember that we've offered to escort her to Hogsmeade by two incredibly attractive Slytherins for a day of shopping that we're paying for. Cheer up, love, we'll all have a good time._

_Love you forever,_

_Blaise Zabini_

"DRESS SHOPPING?" Ginny yelped, incredulous.

"Aw, he loves you!" Exclaimed Luna happily. "And that is exactly what I've been trying to talk to you about. I've been wanting to go dress shopping anyway. And having those two take us and pay for everything?" She gushed happily. "Do you realize how many girls would kill to be in our positions, more yours than mine, but STILL! Draco and Blaise and dress-shopping in Hogsmeade!" She babbled, giggling excitedly. She was going to the Yule Ball with Neville, who was apparently a very good dancer. Luna was thrilled just to be going, but now she gave Ginny a pointed look. Ginny smiled at her best friend.

"I'll save you dances with each of them," she promised, causing Luna to beam.

"Let's go to the library, then." She said, leaping up. Ginny playfully rolled her eyes, but got up and walked to the library with her best friend, their arms linked.

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Draco walked over to the Slytherin table. His discovered research was already paying off; he'd seen Ginny's mouth drop open when he'd entered. Deciding that making up with Blaise- or at least making everyone think that- should be his next move, he walked over to his best friend and sat next to him. He smiled slightly at his friend.

"Morning Blaise. Are our plans for Hogsmeade with Ginny and Luna still on? And I'm sorry about… earlier." He finished, looking at his friend, the tips of his fingers interlocked. Blaise's eyes widened slightly and his mouth hung open at Draco's strange kindness. He quickly recomposed himself.

"Um, apology accepted?" He replied, his eyes slightly sceptical. "And yeah, Hogsmeade's still on, I was actually about to go meet Luna and Ginny in the library." He added, still looking at the blond suspiciously.

"Mind if I join you?" Draco asked casually, his head in his hand.

"Uh.. sure?" Blaise replied, getting up. 'What is wrong with him?' Blaise thought, baffled at his friend's behaviour. Since when did Draco ask HIM permission to do something? Blaise looked up at the blond to see the boy smiling pleasantly at him.

"Shall we go then?" He asked, maintaining the same pleasant demeanour. Blaise just nodded and, dumbstruck, led the way to the library, Draco silently following.

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The two Slytherins found the Gryffindor and the Ravenclaw in the potions section of the library.

"Hey Ron, Cho, what's up?" Asked Theo, slamming his hand down on the table, a grin on his face. Pansy smiled happily and- HEY, THIS IS THE WRONG FANFIC!!! Let's try this again…

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The two Slytherin boys found Ginny and Luna in the Muggle Studies section of the library, the decided meeting place. They sat down across from the two girls, who were immersed in their transfiguration homework. Smiling triumphantly as they both finished a paragraph, they looked up at the same time, grins widening as they saw the two boys.

"Hi Blaise, hi Draco." They said simultaneously before looking at one another and giggling.

"Good morning, ladies." Purred Draco, taking each of their hands and placing a kiss on each, causing both girls to blush.

"How was your breakfast?" asked Blaise, trying to ignore Draco's sudden change in personality. Luna nudged Ginny in the ribs from under the table.

"**Some** people were too busy gawking at the two of you instead of listening to their best friend!" She said, smiling at Ginny's now mortified expression, causing both boys to chuckle.

"Can you really blame her?" asked Blaise, stretching into a pose and winking at them. Luna shrugged.

"Not really. It was very strange at first, when she started hanging out with the two of you. She kept disappearing and returning hours later with a strange expression on her face. I was beginning to think she was being controlled by Vengeful Vepperflies. I was very concerned for her, and then I figured out what was really going on. It was such a relief." Finished Luna, sighing heavily.

"A relief that your best friend was being stalked by two attractive yet notorious Slytherins?" Asked Blaise questioningly, wiggling his eyebrows at the pair, causing both to roll their eyes in mock annoyance.

"So, you're both in for Hogsmeade today , right?" Draco asked.

"Look guys, I don't really feel comfortable with you two paying for-" Ginny was cut off when Draco shook his head and placed his hand on hers.

"Nonsense, we insist." He said, smiling kindly.

"Two gorgeous wallflowers such as yourselves shouldn't be caught paying for things." Blaise said, smirking at his choice of words.

"And I also wanted my dress to be a surprise." Ginny said, pouting. Draco and Blaise looked at one another, and it looked like they were having a silent conversation. Finally, they apparently agreed on something. They nodded once to the other and then refocused their attention to the girls.

"What if we went to Hogsmeade together and then gave you some money to allow you to shop on your own?" Blaise suggested. Now it was the girls' turn to have the silent discussion.

"Alright, that's fine with us." Ginny said after they'd turned back to the boys. Luna nodded to confirm her friend's declaration, causing both boys to smile.

"Excellent. It's settled," Draco said, folding his arms on the desk and laying his head on top of them. 'Be casual,' he reminded himself, remembering his research. 'Be casual, yet flirtatious. Don't be obnoxious, but be charming, be a gentleman.' He thought, trying to engrave the words into his mind.

"So, we'll drop you off at Madame Rosella's at three and pick you up at five thirty?" Draco suggested to the girls. Both gasped and stared, eyes wide, at both boys.

"What?" Asked Draco quickly, face concerned.

"M-m-Madame Rosella's?" Squeaked Ginny, awestruck.

"That's the most expensive shop in Hogsmeade!" Whispered Luna hoarsely, stunned.

"Of course it is," Blaise replied, dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand. Both girls squealed, leaped out of their chairs and enveloped both boys in hugs.

"You two are wonderful!" They exclaimed, hugging them again. Both boys grinned at the attention, but Draco was evidently trying to contain his excessive glee and how brilliantly his plan was coming along.

"So, we'll meet you ladies after lunch?" Draco assumed, taking each girl's hand and twirling them around.

"Absolutely!" Said Ginny, chocolate eyes shining with anticipation. A moment later, however, her expression transformed into a horrifically realistic impression of Molly Weasley. "Now, we've got a lot of work to do. I'm afraid you boys are going to have to leave." She said sternly, only adding to the performance. Blaise opened his mouth to protest, but Ginny shook her head and held up her hand to silence him. "No buts, mister. We'll see you after lunch." Draco nodded, chuckling at Ginny. He placed a kiss on top of each girls head.

"Until then, angels." He said, before bowing comically and dragging a pouting Blaise behind him. However, the dark haired boy managed to wrestle out of the blonde's grip. He bounded over to Ginny, swooped down for a quick kiss, pecked Luna's hand and winked at both of them. Then with a quick "See you soon, loves!" He was gone, already plotting to find out what was wrong with his best friend. As soon as they were sure both boys were out of earshot, the girls erupted into a fit of muffled giggles.

"They're adorable!" Exclaimed Luna. "I can't wait to go!" The two put away their completed transfiguration homework, swapping it for their unstarted potions essay.

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The girls only study session dragged on for what seemed to be an eternity. Finally, after completing half of their homework, they decided to call it a day. The two packed their bags in record time, dashing out of the library to stash their bags in the hollow base of the statue of the four Hogwarts founders. Then they rushed to the Great Hall, scarfed down a small lunch and bolted past the large oak doors for the second time in minutes. Ginny and Luna were halfway down a corridor when both girls stopped unanimously, skidding to a halt and looking at one another.

"Where are we meeting them?" They said together before bursting into laughter.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Came a voice as cold as ice, cutting through their laughter like steel. Both girls yelped, jumping at the strange voice before whipping out their wands with a flourish and turning so they were back to back.

"Accio wands." Said another voice, this one slightly deeper than the first. The girls' wands flew out of their hands, disappearing into the shadows.

"Whose there?" Demanded Ginny, managing to keep her voice even. Two cloaked figures with concealed faces stepped out from the shadows.

"Whose there?" Repeated the first eerie voice, both figures taking several steps closer.

"Why just… US!" Screeched the second voice, before both whipped their hoods back. Ginny and Luna scowled before marching over to them, smacking both boys hard on the head.

"Ow!" Muttered Draco, automatically trying to fix his hair sans mirror.

"What was that for?" Whined Blaise, pouting.

"You jerks! You almost gave us heart attacks!" Exclaimed Ginny, who was still a little shaky.

"Although, better them rather than someone more sinister," Reasoned Luna, to which Ginny gave a shrug and a nod.

"**More** sinister?" Asked Blaise, changing his voice back to the creepy tone again.

"These two innocent angels don't take us Slytherin snakes very seriously." Added Draco, reverting his voice to his previous frightening tone as well.

Both girls rolled their eyes before sticking their tongues out at the boys.

"That's really weird, by the way." Blaise commented, his voice now back to normal.

"What is?" Both girls asked at the same time.

"That!" Replied Draco laughingly. "You say the same thing at the same time or do the same thing all at once. It gets rather strange after awhile." He explained, stepping back when both girls glared at the last comment. "But don't worry, you're both still perfect.:" He added quickly.

"To right they are!" Added Blaise, taking Ginny's hand and spinning her into his chest before kissing her. Luna and Draco felt awkward standing beside the snogging couple. Draco broke the awkwardness by taking Luna's hand and twirling her before getting down on one knee.

"Fairest Luna, I would be honoured if you would allow me to escort you to Hogsmeade this fine December day." He recited. He then procured a large periwinkle flower and extended the hand that wasn't holding hers up, offering the flower to her. Luna blushed prettily and accepted the blossom. Draco's eyes quickly flashed to the other couple, who were surprisingly watching him and Luna and not continuing their snog-fest.

"I, um.. accept your invitation to escort me then… Fairest Draco." Luna replied, smiling at him. Draco only beamed and stood up. As he arranged the flower in Luna's beautiful blond hair, he watched Ginny and Blaise snigger at the 'Fairest Draco' comment. Draco chose to ignore them. He stepped back and offered her his arm.

"Shall we?" Asked Draco, grinning at the strangely enthralling girl.

"Let's!" Exclaimed Luna, smiling brightly and linking her arm with his, placing her other hand on his arm as well, head tilted slightly towards him. The pair of blonds looked adorable with each other, Ginny decided privately. Ginny and Blaise linked arms as well, and in that manner the four students set off into the snow-pathed journey to Hogsmeade.

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The trip to Hogsmeade was quiet and un-eventful, save for Luna detaching herself from Draco to twirl down the snow-dusted path, pointing out newfangled creatures that only she seemed to see. As Luna continued her carefree frolicking, Draco walked over to the other couple, hands in his pockets. He revealed another flower, this one a dark blue, the color of the midnight sky. He arranged it in her hair, vividly aware of the hate-filled glare that Blaise was giving him, which he again chose not to acknowledge.

"There you are!" Announced Draco, stepping back to admire her with a smile.

"Thanks, Dray," Mumbled Ginny, looking down abashedly. Luna fell back into their stride, reattaching herself to the blond boy's arm as the group reached Hogsmeade. That was when Ginny realized something that she had been neglecting all day. She skidded to a halt, eyes wide in horror. Her best friend and both boys surrounded her in seconds, faces concerned.

"Ginny what's wrong?" They all asked collectively, their words falling together in a jumble.

"If we go there…" She began, staring off into the distance. "They'll see, and they'll know." This statement didn't seem to clarify anything for the worried trio, so the pressed on.

"And…?" Pressed Blaise, looking at his girlfriend's distraught expression.

"Everyone will know about us!" She wailed. "Everyone! The Gryffindors, Harry, Hermione, my **brothers**!" She added, still in the same hysterical tone. "Oh, my brothers! They're going to kill you!" Draco and Blaise quickly grabbed Ginny and darted into Hogsmeade, stopping at an abandoned alleyway, Luna sprinting behind them to catch up.

"Everyone will know about you if you keep yelling it to the world, Ginny." Said Luna in a quiet tone.

"Look, maybe it won't be such a bad thing if people found out," reasoned Draco, stroked her hair affectionately in an attempt to relax her.

"There'd be no more secrecy, no more having to hide-" Blaise added, rubbing her back kindly.

"-No more relationship," added Ginny. "Look, my brothers are **extremely **protective of me, especially Ron." She said. "And it isn't just the fact that you're Slytherins OR my brother's enemies; he just doesn't like the idea of me dating in general!" She added quickly, so as not to offend them.

"Look Gin," began Draco in a quiet tone. "Blaise and I are both very used to being pre-judged because of our House and our parents- You used to be one of them. Maybe this is our chance to show the world that we aren't the people others label us to be." He finished, eyes pleading.

"You won't be able to show the world anything when the Weasley Army finds you." The redhead muttered, but it was clear to all that her defenses were weakening.

"You shouldn't let Ron or anyone else control you Gin." Said Blaise. Ginny looked up at him pointedly. "Save for us of course, but then again, you normally ignore our suggestions anyway." He added, grinning before his face became truly serious. "We understand where you're coming from, Ginny, but we truly believe that revealing our relationship would be for the best." Blaise said, smiling down at her. "And don't worry about your brothers." He added, mussing with her hair lovingly.

"Yeah, it **probably** won't turn into a war," added Draco casually from behind them. Ginny grinned, linking her arms with Blaise and Luna, Draco taking Luna's other side.

"Let's go then!" Ginny said, and the four stepped out of the alleyway to face the wizarding world.

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"What can I get for you lot?" Asked Madam Rosmerta as she walked over to their secluded table in the Three Broomsticks, glittery heels clicking.

"Four Butterbeers, please." Replied Draco, ordering for the group. The woman smiled and gave a curt nod before leaving the teens to themselves.

"So, what do you want to do today?" asked Draco, propping his elbows on the table in a very cute yet un-Malfoyish way. Both girls shrugged, then Ginny pulled out a crinkled piece of parchment.

"I do need to get some things for Fred and George at Zonko's though- it's less suspicious when I buy the pranking equipment rather than them- I'm pretty sure Filch searches them whenever they return from Hogsmeade." Ginny said when they had all given her confused looks.

"Honeydukes!" Roared Blaise, slamming his fist down on the table. Ginny leaned over and patted Blaise on the head.

"Yes Blaise, we'll stop for chocolate." She said, removing her hand from his hair to his hand, where their fingers automatically intertwined.

"Chocolate," said Luna dreamily.

"So, Zonko's, Honeydukes, where else?" Asked Draco, sipping the Butterbeer that Madam Rosmerta had just placed in front of him, the others quickly copying his actions.

"We could check out that new bookstore," suggested Draco when nobody said anything.

"And the Shrieking Shack!" Added Blaise ghoulishly.

"Oh, we can't go in there- there are WAY too many blemshire molluscs." Said Luna, wrinkling her nose in disdain.

"We're not supposed to go in there anyway," murmured Ginny, causing both boys to mumble something along the lines of "Typical goody-goody Gryffindor" and "Where's that bravery now?" which earned both boys a playful smack on the arm.

"No abusing my date, Weasley!" Said Luna, smiling at Draco fondly.

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Okay, **originally **it was going to be a very long chapter, but I'm splitting it into two parts for various reasons. One being I promised one of you dedicated reviewers I'd have this up by today, the other being I'm really tired and sore and might be sick. I hope you liked it, my cupcakes, and I'll have the second part of this up by Sunday! ((You have my permission to rudely message me if I don't.)) Yay, now that this is done I can go work on a forum site for my friend… woo-hoo.

Thanks for reading and ENJOY! (And review or I'll be sad.)


	11. Chapter 10 Part 2

Sorry this took so long! Lots of unfortunate mishaps have happened lately. Ask my new OF (online friend) FERNIE! Okay, it's **Fernsong**, but she shall be Fernie to me! Hope that's okay! This chapter shall be dedicated to the member(s) of **The Awsome Threesome **that read my story. THANKS! You kick booty! And now, a la chapter!

Chapter 10- Part 2: Shopping

Butterbeers finished, the group left the Three Broomsticks, chatting animatedly. They soon arrived at their next stop: Honeydukes. Blaise's eyes sparkled in delight. Sprinting into the throng of crazed chocolate and sweets lovers with the other three trailing behind him, Blaise resembled, well, a kid in a candy store. While Blaise was fighting to stock up on his sweets for the next century, Draco led Ginny and Luna outside so that the trio could remain relatively untrampled. Walking over to a low stone wall, he whipped out his wand and melted the snow, evaporating the water it melted into. He then helped both girls onto the wall before leaning against it himself. There they waited for several minutes. After a quarter of an hour, Draco reluctantly left the girls to go drag his friend out of the sweet shop.

The blond boy returned a few moments later, carrying a package of his own and dragging a beaming Blaise, who was carrying a vast assortment of boxes. While Blaise was shrinking the boxes and placing them with tender care into his pocket, Draco approached the girls and opened his box, producing two painted chocolate roses.

"For you, Fairests of Them All," he purred, handing the brown and blue bloom to Luna and the brown and scarlet one to Ginny. Blaise gave Draco a look that was both menacing and confused before rummaging around in his pocket before finding two very small boxes- one green and another purple. He transfigured them back to their original sizes with a quick 'Engorgio' and handed a box of bonbons to each girl, both girls sensing the tense and competitive aura surrounding the boys.

"OH!" Exclaimed Luna suddenly, causing the two Slytherins to end their glaring contest. "Oh," she added sullenly, eyes downcast.

"What's wrong?" asked Blaise, looking at Luna with eyes that were concerned, yet not completely rid of the anger directed at Draco.

"I thought I'd heard a pericrossed winkler, but it was just an owl." Said Luna sadly.

"So, shall we got to Zonko's?" asked Ginny brightly, aiding Luna in keeping the boys at bay. The two nodded wordlessly, following the girls.

Once they'd arrived at the bustling joke shop, Ginny and Luna darted inside, returning several moments later with several suspicious packages in their arms, which they both quickly shrunk and hid. The air was still thick with tension radiating off of the two boys. While the group was on their way to the Shrieking Shack, the girls trailed behind, determined to cheer up the boys. Gathering snow in their hands, Luna and Ginny hurled the snowballs at their dates' heads, quickly wiped off their frosted hands and pretended to be deep in conversation before the snowballs struck their targets. Both boys whirled around, eyes searching for the moron who would dare throw snowballs at two of the most notorious Slytherins in the school. Their eyes came to rest on their dates, who were both having a suspiciously over-emphasized conversation. Wicked grins stole across their faces before they dove to the ground, forming snowballs at a ferocious speed. The girls frantically tried to do the same, but, moments later, they were showered with snowballs. The girls' plan seemed to have worked, for Draco and Blaise seemed to have formed a momentary truce to band together against the girls. 'I suppose getting pelted with snow is a small price to pay to keep them from hating each other,' Ginny thought.

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"I don't usually like this saying," began Ginny, laughing breathlessly at the intense snowball fight she'd just participated in. "But didn't anyone ever tell you not to hit girls?" She asked, gasping for breath at the excursion as she ran her fingers through her damp, tangled hair.

"It was the snowballs that hit you love, not us." Pointed out Blaise innocently, grinning madly as he shook his head like a dog in an attempt to get the snowflakes out of his dreadlocks. The quartet stopped in front of an elegant shop. _Madame Rosella's_ was written across the snow covered emerald green awning in an elegant, lilac scrawl. Both boys deposited a bag of coins into the girls hands. The clinking of many coins could be heard from inside the silk bags, making Ginny's heart throb in guilt, only to throb again in excitement as Blaise winked at her.

"You've got two and a half hours," said Draco, trying to keep a straight face. "Now, no kidding around, girls. This is serious business." He added.

"Personally, I'd say two and a half hours is more than enough time, but we aren't girls and therefore aren't educated in the female mind." Chimed in Blaise. "Have fun, ladies!" he said, before he and Draco bowed cheesily, turned away and left.

"Well? What are we waiting for?" Exclaimed Luna, grabbing her best friend by the arm and leading her into the shop. As she opened the door, the faint tinkling of a bell could be heard.

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I know, I know, it's ridiculously short, but I'm WAY behind as it is and I figured you poor cupcakes must want something to read, so here it is! I'm working on editing the next parts already, and boy, are they intense! So many surprises coming up! Hope you liked it, my cupcakes! Thanks for reading, and please review!


	12. Chapter 11

OH MY ROWLING. I am SO sorry. I know that no amount of apologizing in the world will cause you, especially my dedicated readers, to forgive me. I'm hoping that by saying SORRY one last time and posting some more chapters will take some of the hatred off my person. Also, I will offer a promise to post at least once a week (unless of course, something goes drastically wrong) and I have also opened a poll, which has been posted on my profile, to let all of you vote on how this story ends. No, not if it's Draco or Blaise, but whether or not I should post an alternate ending with the other boy ending up with Ginny. Please vote, my beloved cupcakes. Now then! Fingers crossed for no more computer troubles, long term or otherwise, and ON WITH THE SHOW!

Chapter 11: Of Dress Shopping, Jealousy and Unexpected Heroes

**Ginny and Luna:**

"Good afternoon, girls." The words were spoken by a fluid, silky voice, belonging to a female concealed somewhere in the room. Out from behind a rack of gowns in various hues of purple stepped an elderly woman with black hair tied into a bun. She was wearing a dark green robe which had been pressed so neatly it appeared that all of the wrinkles that may have been on the garment had been transferred to her aging face.

"How may I help you?" She asked the pair.

"We're um, here to shop for our Yule Ball outfits," Ginny replied shyly. The woman shook her head.

"I apologize, but my shop is currently closed to the public. I am expecting a pair of women this afternoon, who have requested that the shop be-" The woman paused and looked them over, realization dawning on her face. "Would you happen to be Miss Weasley and Miss Lovegood?" She asked. The duo nodded, and the woman smiled. "Then you are the two Masters Malfoy and Zabini requested I close the shop for. I am Madame Rosella, and I can assure you, my dears, that before you leave my shop today we will have found your perfect outfits, from gown to shoe. My niece will also be assisting you." She smiled and swept down in a low curtsey before quickly straightening up, stiff as a board.

"NYMPHADORA! We have customers!" She barked, before looking at the girls again. Luna and Ginny, who had been mindblown at the news of a fancy dress shop being closed just for them, now gazed into the woman's eyes. They could almost see her thinking of hair styles and makeup and shoes and gowns. Her eyes clouded over again, however, when she saw her niece had failed to appear.

"Nymphadora!" She called, her brow creasing in irritation.

"Auntie, don't called me Nymphadora!" Came the reply. A woman with short, pink hair and ice blue eyes skipped through the doorway of the storage room, tripping over her own two feet and landing in an assortment of wraps.

"Tonks!" Ginny cried. "Whatever are you doing here?" Ginny had met the crazy, lovable woman several times with her parents at Ministry gatherings. Tonks was an Auror, so why was she working in an expensive dress shop?

Tonks, who had quickly detangled herself from the wraps, ignored her aunt's cold glare at her clumsiness and answered Ginny's questions before she had asked them.

"Wotcher, Ginny! Ministry's insisting I take a couple weeks vacation from work. Nasty bit o' trouble with some Vampires. I couldn't bare to be cramped up all day, so I'm helping my aunt here. Who's your friend?" Tonks asked, looking at Luna.

"Luna Lovegood," replied the blonde. "And if I may say so, I love you hair. Are you a Metamorphmagus?" She asked the woman admiringly, who nodded, clearly fond of the girl already.

"Alright, enough introductions- let's create your dream outfits!" Tonks said briskly, before taking their hands and leading them to a small room and the back of the shop. Inside, Madame Rosella had placed racks of dresses, rows of shoes and cabinets of accessories. To the left were two fitting rooms, to the right, two chairs surrounded by various combs and brushes and stacks of makeup lined up as well as a small stage surrounded by mirrors. Both girls stared, awestruck, at the room specialized just for them. Madame Rosella stood in front of then, Tonks now by her side, grinning like a madman.

"Now then ladies, let us begin!"

After Madame Rosella had taken their measurements (with Tonks following her and taking notes on a clipboard, transfiguring her nose into a snout, a beak and back), they ewre asked to tell them the color scheme or idea for their outfit. Luna said she wanted light, pastel shades of blue, purple, or pink to compliment her fair skin and ashy hair. Ginny nervously admitted that she had no idea what she wanted, so the two women decided colder or darker colors would suit her complexion better and wouldn't clash with her hair. Then, the dresses came. Both girls were ushered into fitting rooms where dozens of gowns were flung at them. The girls didn't know what they were looking for, and the process seemed endless. Ginny was strongly reminded of purchasing her first wand, how Mr Ollivander had snatched wand after wand away, until finally she had found the right one. Eventually, Luna and Ginny had each selected three gowns.

Madame Rosella and Tonks examined each gown before rushing off in separate directions, Tonks sorting through shoes of every design and color, while Madame Rosella looked for accessories. Soon enough, the women found what they were looking for, adding to the dresses until six complete outfits were formed. Each girl selected one, minds whirling, and were then dragged to chairs. Tonks set about to do Luna's hair and make-up, using both spells and charms and make-up and brushes, while Rosella did the same for Ginny. Determinedly not looking at the other, each girl took their gowns into the changing rooms and put them on.

"On three?" Ginny heard Luna call from the other side of the thin wall separating them.

"On three," Ginny agreed. "One… two… THREE!"

Both girls opened the doors and rushed out of the change rooms, turning to look at the other in admiration.

"Oh Luna, you look perfect!"

"Gin, you're gorgeous!"

Both girls walked over to the mirrors, marvelling at their appearances. Then, the ran over to Madame Rosella and Tonks, hugging them tightly, repeatedly voicing their thanks. Madame Rosella separated herself from the still-hugging trio to gather the other gowns and return them to the back room, glancing back ever so often at Luna and Ginny, marvelling at her brilliant handiwork. Arms full, she exited the room.

"Nymphadora, some assistance, if you please!" The old woman called back to her niece. Tonks broke apart from the hug, scowling.

"Auntie, please! Don't call me Nymphadora!" She yelled back, before turning to the girl. "You both look phantasmagorical. Now, go back into those fitting rooms and change back!" She ordered, winking at them before flouncing off to her aunt.

**Draco:**

Draco and Blaise had separated the moment they were out of the girls' sights. Draco actually had a smile on his face, although it was really more of a triumphant smirk. He could tell that Ginny was impressed by the 'new him,' if not at least highly curious. He strutted around Hogsmeade, stopping at several shops and looking at various items without a care in the world. Subconsciously, he arrived back at the Shrieking Shack, with a forest to his right. He found a log and, after quickly removing it of dirt and grime, sat upon it, sighing. As much as it pained him to say it, or think it in this case, he knew he missed Blaise. The two had been friends forever. They had both grown up in large manors that were cold, paid for by violence and greed. They both had cruel fathers who hit them when they misbehaved and mothers who were to afraid for themselves to help their children. They were both only children, alone in the world, until they had met each other. A bond had been formed, and he and Blaise had become brothers in all but blood. Draco sighed, praying that after he won Ginny's heart-which he **would** do, he and Blaise would still be best mates. He took out his silver pocket-watch, feeling something poke at his heart when he remembered it had been a gift from Blaise, and checked the time. He got off the log and walked back to Hogsmeade. It was time to meet Ginny.

**Blaise: **

Blaise was glad to be rid of Draco the moment they turned the corner away from Rosella's dress shop, however he was furious, confused, and upset. Draco had changed himself- no, he hadn't changed himself, he had simply acted like a new person. And sadly, he saw that Ginny was completely buying it hook, line, and sinker. Blaise, however, knew better. He angrily strode through the streets in Hogsmeade, glaring at anyone he saw, until he had walked back to the Shrieking Shack, without even realized it. He entered the forest on his left and, once he was concealed by the massive trees, let himself go. He let out an angry roar, followed by a string of muffled profanities. Sighing, he walked deeper into the forest and sat on a rock, arms folded across opened knees with his forehead resting on his arms. Not only was he losing the girl he loved to another man, the other man had been his best friend for years, the one who had gotten everything he had ever wanted no less. Sighing, he took out a silver pocket watch, painfully remembering the day Draco had given it to him, and read it. Five o' clock. Time to go and meet Ginny.

**Ginny and Luna: **

Ginny and Luna waited on the steps of the dress shop, eyes searching for Draco and Blaise. Tonks had promised them that their dresses, shoes, and accessories would be sent to them the morning of the Ball along with instructions listing hair and makeup spells. Luna sighed longingly and turned towards her best friend.

"I need to go back to Honeydukes," The blonde whispered, though why she was whispering Ginny couldn't understand.

"Why?" The redhead asked, her curiosity always getting the better of her.

"I need some bubblegum ice cream," Luna replied airily. Ginny laughed at this.

"Ice cream? A week before Christmas?" You're mad! And besides, the ice cream at Honeydukes isn't nearly as good as Florean Fortescue's place in Diagon Alley," Ginny reasoned.

"I know," Luna said quietly, face solemn. "But it's all I've got." She added grimly. With that, she leaped off the cold stone steps onto the snow-covered street. "Stay here and wait for them." She ordered.

"Alright. Hurry back!" Ginny called after her best friend. The moment Luna was out of sight, Ginny felt a familiar movement or air beside her. Turning around, she saw Harry settling in to sit beside her on the steps, his crinkled invisibility cloak folded in his lap.

"Hello Harry." Ginny said, greeting the boy politely, inwardly thinking that if Harry had done this a month ago, sneaking away from everyone to find her, she would've gone bright red and swooned. Her thoughts then turned to Luna's strange and sudden desire for ice cream. Had she known Harry was there? Luna had always seemed to know things before others did. Ginny shook her head in wonderment before turning her attention back to Harry.

"Hey Gin. Listen, we need to talk…" Harry began, pausing to rake a hand through his impossibly messy black hair, a nervous habit of his Ginny had picked up on.

"Yes Harry, we do. How's the Second Task coming along?" Ginny interrupted, smiling brightly at him.

Harry had then launched into a seemingly eternal explanation of how he, Ron and Hermione had been spending many hours in the library, trying desperately to find any information regarding the mysterious riddle that was the Golden Egg. He had stopped after talking for ten consecutive minutes, but Ginny found it amazing how she currently wished she were dead after having to listen to the boy she had once loved drone on. Harry had trailed off his tale into nothing, and the pair was sitting in such an awkward silence it could've made Voldemort tremble. Finally, Harry spoke up.

"So, erm… Gin. Ginny, I was, erm, wondering, erm, if you wanted to go to the, erm, Yule Ball… with me." He stuttered, his emerald green eyes locking on hers nervously, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Oh Harry, I'd love too!" Ginny replied.

Hehehe… CLIFFIE! What IS our dear Ginny thinking? What's going to happen? I'm SO MEAN!!! Harry's being articulate, as always, and then next chapter will be up as early as tonight! Check out my Alice in Wonderland fic if you so choose, and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Oh and sorry it's so short…


	13. Chapter 12

_Oh. My. Cheesecake. I am SO sorry. I know I promised to get more chapters up, but- no, excuses don't excuse how HORRID I've been to you people. IF you're still around, and have been around since the beginning- I LOVE YOU AND THANKS FOR STICKING WITH ME. I won't waste anymore time talking and get straight to the chapter- oh wait, an important announcement- I GOT MY MUSE BACK. *dances*_

_Okay, I'm done now! Enjoy!_

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Chapter 12: Horrified, Held & Hurt

"Oh Harry, I'd love to!" Ginny said, smiling faintly when Harry's expression brightened. "But, I'm already going with someone else," the youngest Weasley finished, feeling a pang of guilt as Harry's face fell.

"Oh, um, that's fine, I suppose. But, err, if you don't mind me asking- whose the lucky guy?" Harry asked. Ginny saw curiosity, sorrow and... a touch of anger in The-Boy-Who-Lived's eyes.

"I'm sorry Harry, but I cannot tell you. You wouldn't exactly approve, and you'd tell Ron, and he and Fred and George wouldn't approve of anyone, let alone-"

"It's Malfoy, isn't it?" Harry cut in, his teeth clenched together. "I see you hanging around with him and Zabini. How could you do this Ginny- to me, your friends, your family, _Gryffindor?" _He ranted, exasperated. Ginny's temper flared at this. How dare Harry insult the boys that made her feel complete? How could he accuse her of dishonouring everyone she cared about simply because he was jealous?

"Firstly, their names are Draco and Blaise!" roared Ginny, standing in her fury to glare down at the boy she used to love. "Secondly, it isn't any of your business at all who I date, or to accuse me of hurting the people I care about simply because I've come to care about people you loathe! And thirdly, you need to stop acting like such a child, Harry James Potter, because the only reason you're behaving this way is because you are jealous!"

Harry leaped to his feet, fists curled up, glaring at Ginny with absolute loathing. "Let's go tell your brothers then and see what they have to say about this!" He spat, grabbing her wrist and pulling her off the steps.

"Harry! What the bloody hell are you doing? Let me go!" Ginny shrieked, shocked.

"No, you're coming with me to tell your brothers how you've betrayed everyone. And I'd cancel your plans with Draco and Blaise, because there is no way Ron is going to let you hang around with them and become the Slytherin whore." He hissed, voice full of venom.

Ginny was stunned. This was not the Harry she had fallen in love with three and a half years ago when she saw him on the train with her brother. This Harry was not the warm, kind, and funny hero that had saved her in her first year. This Harry was cruel and demanding; this Harry scared her. She struggled to get free, but he was too strong for her.

"Ginny, stop fighting me- we're going, now come ON!" He growled. When she continued to resist, Harry threw his invisibility cloak to the ground and struck the girl across the face. Ginny toppled to the ground, staring up at him open-mouthed in disbelief, one hand clutching her cheek. He stalked over to her and towered over her. As he bent down to snatch her arm again, there was the sound of quick footsteps crunching on snow, and Harry was tackled by a speeding blur. Ginny saw Draco Malfoy pinning Harry to the ground, his wand pointed at Harry's throat.

"Don't you ever touch her again, Scar-Head, or you'll have so many heinous scars that the one on your blasted forehead won't be visible." Draco hissed scathingly.

Reaching over, taking care that his wand never left the dark haired boy's neck, he plucked Harry's invisibility cloak off the ground and stood, still aiming his wand at the boy. He wrapped his arm around Ginny's waist and covered them both completely with the cloak before leading the way, sprinting with the girl as they fled, stopping when they reached the outskirts of the forest.

Draco pulled the cloak off of he and Ginny and stepped away from the girl, awaiting her reaction. The girl closed her eyes tightly, fists clenched, shoulders shaking with unshed tears. She stumbled over to a fallen log and collapsed onto it. There Ginny sat, arms wrapped around her knees, her face concealed behind them as she cried, ignoring the frigid hardened snow she sat upon.

Draco looked at her, totally heartbroken-another new emotion Ginny had brought out of him- and hesitantly walked over to her. Sitting next to the redhead, holding his tongue from releasing a comment concerning his expensive trousers that were being ruined by the snow beneath him, he carefully wrapped one arm around her shoulders, the other reaching under he legs to lift her on to his lap. Unsure of how to proceed, he wrapped his arm around her, clutching her waist and hugging her to him. The arm pressed on her shoulders he lifted, stroking her soft ginger locks while the other rubbed the small of her back. He opened his mouth, but paused before he said anything, not knowing how to proceed. Up until this year, he had been Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin, caring about no one but himself and mocking other students mercilessly. Now he knew his father's fortune or his pureblood couldn't help him when he needed it the most. He listened to the thrum of his aching heart, and was surprised when the perfect words of how to console the girl popped into his mind.

"Ginny, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that Blaise and I have taken you away from your friends and family. I'm sorry I used to insult you and hurt you. I'm sorry that you feel like you're betraying everyone you care about- but honestly, if people think spending time with someone is a bad thing just because of a stupid house rivalry, you don't need them. And I'm sorry that Harry's such an ass-hole-" Ginny chuckled through her tears at this, "I'm sorry for everything I've done, Ginny. But, in spite of the many terrible things I've done to everyone, I'll never regret pursuing you. I... I love you Ginny, and I'll do anything to take away the pain I've caused you for three years." Draco finished, inhaling deeply and realizing with surprise that the pain in his heart reduced slightly. Ginny looked up at him then, the edges of her incredible chocolate brown eyes rimmed with swollen redness. She took silent shaking breaths, and Draco saw disbelief in her eyes. Somehow, they had leaned towards one another without noticing. Cool pools of liquid mercury locked with warm orbs of rich chocolate. Their connection broke, however, when Ginny sniffled. Draco, understanding Ginny's guilt, pulled away, getting off of the log and facing Ginny, his arms crossed, though not unkindly. Ginny composed herself once again and looked up at him.

"I'm really sorry about this, Draco," she began, implying the intimate moment they had almost shared. "Not just about this, but everything. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you, not only loving a sworn enemy, but having to watch Blaise and me together all the time." Ginny paused, taking a shaky breath as a single tear rolled down her cheek. Draco was awestruck as she apologized for everything-things she hadn't even caused- that had left doubts in his mind. He walked back over to the girl in three short strides, wiping the tears off of her face. She subconsciously leaned into his hand, and her eyes fluttered closed. _WHAM!_

There was a sickening thud and some yells and Ginny felt Draco's hand disappear from her face. Her eyes shot open to see Blaise on top of a struggling Draco.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, Malfoy?" roared the boy, punching the blond in the nose and smirking when Draco gave a strangled yell as his nose started bleeding.

Ginny was dumbstruck and unable to move or speak. How could they be doing this to each other? They were best friends, and had been for years! The terrible truth presented itself to Ginny- they were fighting because of _her._ She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of being the reason Draco and Blaise separated. Sure they were both gits, but their friendship was meant to be as close as it was. Her attention was brought back to the fight, where Draco seemed to be gaining the upper hand. His fist connected with the dark boy's jaw, who growled fiercely and spat out blood (their wands lay forgotten).

"Allsh fair inb lubb add war, Thebidi," Draco said cruelly, his words stifled by the condition of his nose, but Ginny figured out he meant to say 'All's fair in love and war, Zabini.' Blaise kicked Draco off of him and they both stood, glaring at one another.

"Eave my girlfriend alone, you damned prick, or else." Blaise said, his tone cynical. Draco smirked. "No, I don't think I will. Besides, it seemed to me that your _girlfriend_ didn't mind me saving her ass from Potter and almost kissing her just a moment ago." He said smugly.

"That's because she doesn't know what she wants!" Blaise roared back. That did it. Ginny stormed over, her temper a raging inferno.

"Stop! Stop it right now! Look at yourselves! You're best friends and you're fighting over a girl!" She began. "I thought you two were different; different than the Slytherins I thought I'd known for three years. But clearly, I was wrong. You are _both_ arrogant, demanding, insensitive gits!" she roared. They both looked at her- Blaise looking like he was about to cry at Ginny's words, Draco giving a slight pout- and opened their mouths to speak, but Ginny cut them off, glaring at Blaise while speaking. "And for your information, _Zabini_, I **do** know what I want," She stated in a cold tone, "and it most certainly is not either of you."

With that, she turned and stormed out of the forest, leaving two devastated and bloody boys behind her. The pair watched the girl they loved leave, and, covering up their own guilt, glared at each other, silently blaming the other. They picked up their wands out of the snow, and, without a word or a glance, went their separate ways.

_(A/N: I was SO tempted to just stop it here, but it's too short of a chapter and I'm leaving tomorrow, so I figured I'd give you JUST a little more...)_

_**~Ginny:**_

A week had passed since the incident in the forest, and Ginny was still ignoring the boys. 'Boy,' Ginny mentally corrected herself. Blaise had been trying in any way possible to talk to her and apologize, from sending her owls, to confronting her between classes, to lurking outside the Gryffindor Common Room and other areas she frequently visited. Why, just this morning she'd discovered a note in her porridge that he had smuggled in somehow. Ginny, however, was a Weasley and had inherited her family's stubbornness, and refused to acknowledge Blaise or any of his attempts to speak with her.

Draco was another story. Ginny hadn't seen hide nor hair of him for an entire week, something completely out of character. He had made no move to apologize. Ginny wasn't sure if his disappearance worried or pleased her.

Ginny was on her way to the Gryffindor Common Room after dinner, and wasn't surprised when she saw a black, brown and green blur dart in front of her. "Ginny, forgive me, please! I'm so sorry, I know I hurt you; it was a stupid thing to do, and I regret it so much more because it lost me you!" Blaise plead, eyes full of pain as he apologized for the umpteenth time. Ginny pushed past him, without a word or the blink of an eye. Zabini was starting to bother her. She saw Harry leaning against a wall, smirking at the interaction between her and Blaise. Ginny rolled her eyes.

Ginny decided that Blaise would most likely pop up at least two more times on her way back to Gryffindor tower, and that she'd have to put up with Harry while inside the portrait-hole, and instead she vouched for a place that was quiet and peaceful, where she could be alone. She climbed up eleven and a half staircases to reach the top of the Astronomy Tower, not knowing someone was already inside.

_**~Draco:**_

Draco lay on his bed in his private bedroom, brooding about what had happened seven days prior. Ginny resting her head in his hands, her eyes closed, her perfect lips waiting to be kissed. It had all been going so perfectly until _HE_ showed up, not only ruining both of their chances with Ginny but breaking his nose, disfiguring his beautiful face and getting blood all over his expensive outfit. Fortunately Madam Pomfrey had sorted it all out. Angry with Blaise and upset over Ginny, he decided to skip dinner and stay in the Astronomy Tower. Looking smugly at the invisibility cloak draped over his mirror- the only good thing that had come out of that day in Hogsmeade- he walked out of his bedroom and up the twenty-seven staircases it took to get to the quiet, dark tower.

He sat there, among telescopes and star-charts, staring at the night sky and thinking. Draco knew that Blaise had been trying to apologize profusely to Ginny, all with no avail. He had seen Ginny rejecting his pleas many times in the corridors between classes, and crumpling up his owls at meals. He chuckled weakly. He and Blaise were so different- Blaise was an open-book, Draco kept a mask up. Blaise had been begging for Ginny to come back to him, Draco had avoided her at all costs. But was he making a mistake? Should he at least _try _to apologize, despite the sting of rejection and the shots to his ego and pride should Ginny reject him like she had Blaise? Draco didn't think he could take that. He knew that he missed Ginny, but he wasn't about to throw his feelings or worse, his _reputation_ out the window.

"Ginny," he mumbled to the stars, "What should I do?"

_**~Blaise:**_

It had been a week; seven horrible, long days of Ginny ignoring his existence. He had been doing everything in his power to convince the girl he loved to forgive him, but to no avail. _'Stupid Weasley stubbornness,'_ he thought to himself as he looked for Ginny after dinner to attempt to apologize for the six hundred and seventy-second time in seven days (he'd been counting). He saw her walking through the halls briskly and alone, trying to get to the safety of the Gryffindor Common Room as quickly as she could. _'To avoid me,'_ Blaise realized, feeling another ache in his heart that pumped hurt through his veins. He sprinted up to her, dodging four Gryffindors, two Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff before leaping in front of her.

"Ginny, forgive me, please! I'm so sorry, I know I hurt you; it was a stupid thing to do, and I regret it so much more because it lost me you!" Blaise begged, indigo eyes pleading. He had never wanted anything more than Ginny forgiving him. Ginny's face was blank as she pushed past him, acting like he wasn't even there. It broke his heart that his fiery little redhead wasn't even speaking to him anymore. It would have been better that she'd started to insult him, at least then she'd be acknowledging his existence! He sighed and looked up, but Ginny was gone. He sprinted to the Gryffindor Common Room, taking a few secret passageways along the way to save time. However, when he got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ginny was nowhere to be found. He spied Colin Creevey, a Gryffindor in Ginny's year. Grabbing the boy's shoulder, scaring him out of his wits, Blaise attempted to put on a more friendly face.

"Hello Colin!" He said cheerily to the trembling blond boy, though his voice was still laced with anxiety. "Have you seen Ginny? It's rather urgent." The boy's eyes widened in fear of what might happen to him if he didn't give one of the most notorious Slytherins in the school the correct answer.

"I saw her heading towards the.. A-astronomy T-t-tower!" He cried. Blaise grinned, hugged the boy and sprinted off towards the Astronomy Tower.

_**Reg:**_

Ginny walked up the stairs leading to the Astronomy Tower and saw that the door was opened. Someone was already inside. She sighed lightly, and was about to turn and leave when she heard someone.

"Ginny, what should I do?" A voice asked. Ginny paused- did the person know she was here? No, she reasoned, the voice belonged to Draco and he was... thinking about her? Ginny slipped into the room, unnoticed by Draco, and approached him.

"I don't know," She murmured quietly, smirking slightly when Draco nearly jumped out of his skin and whipped his head around to look at her. His expression softened when he saw that it was her.

"Ginny," He breathed, not taking his eyes off her. For some reason, Ginny didn't ignore him like she had been doing to Blaise. She sat down next to him, and he turned to face her, somewhat incredulous, somewhat smug- he only allowed shock to register on his face, however.

"Hi Draco," Ginny said hesitantly. Draco realized that she was hurting; hurting more than he was, and more than he and Blaise combined. She had lost both of them and had had to push all apologies away for her own good, despite how much she wanted to forgive them. He knew that now, and what he said next he spoke with such passion and conviction he never knew he possessed.

"Ginny, I know you've been hurt and I know how much you want to leave right now but I'm begging you to at least hear me out." He began, only continuing when she nodded, keeping her expression blank. "I've been horrible to you ever since I met you- the insults, the snide remarks, hurting you and your family- and then what my father did to you. I'm so sorry for that Ginny, but how I feel about what I've done this year is far worse than anything I've done in my past. I hurt you, Ginny. I played with your heart. I've said this before, and I meant it- I'd spend every minute of every day trying to make up for what I've done. What happened in the forest between Blaise and me was stupid, and I'm sorry we did it and sorry you had to see it. Blaise, Ginny. He misses you so much, as I'm sure you know. He reacted the way any boyfriend would react to another man kissing his girlfriend. I understand if you won't forgive me Ginny, I do, but you should at least forgive Blaise. He's... he's better for you than I'll ever be- he'll treat you the way you deserve to be treated, he'll always be there for you, and he loves you more than anything in the world. I do as well, mind you, but he deserves you. I can't condone what I've done the way he can. So, forgive him, Ginny, and be with him again. And if you ever manage to forgive me, despite everything that I've done, I'd be the most grateful wizard in the world. I'd be your best friend, I'd protect you when Blaise wasn't around, and I'd never come between you the way I have this month." Draco finished, closing his eyes. He felt a strange tingling in his nose, and when he blinked he realized he was crying. He closed his eyes again, breathing deeply, trying to compose himself.

"Draco, I... I don't know what to say." Ginny began, voice breathy.

"You don't have to say anything," he mumbled, eyes still closed. Someone joined them in the Astronomy Tower then, but neither of them noticed.

Ginny wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and kissed him sweetly, yet passionately. Draco's eyes flew open in shock, but he continued the kiss, feeling like his heart might break.

"I love you, Draco," Ginny said when the parted. Draco smiled, his heart bursting with joy, before he replied.

"I love you too, Ginny," was his answer. They heard a sharp intake of breath and whipper their heads around to the door, where a very hurt Blaise Zabini glared at them through tears before storming down the stairs, ignoring Ginny's pleas to come back.

* * *

_Oh My. Look how that turned out. Certainly wasn't expecting that! Well, I locked myself in my room on the last day before I go on vacation to give this to you, hope you enjoyed it. The way I've planned it, there should only be two or so more chapters left and then an epilogue. Sad, I know. I've also decided to write an alternate ending, so, no matter what, Ginny will end up with the pairing you prefer- unless your preferred pairing ISN'T Draco or Blaise, in which case... too bad. :( Hope you liked it my cupcakes. I come back from my vacation on the 25th, where I'll try to finish writing this fanfic out longhand and will then type it out as soon as I get home (after I watch the long-anticipated A Very Potter Sequel on YouTube :D ) R&R my lovelies, and I'll post again hopefully before the start of August!_


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